Battles on the recruiting trail can bring the nasty side out of head coaches as they're not afraid to put another program down to prop up their own team. One of the biggest storylines of the Early Signing Period this year has been the battle for 5-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. While Henry has been committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes since July of 2023, the recruitment took a turn on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
The top recruiter in the country has been Ohio State's Brian Hartline as he's recruited the top receivers in the Nation sending them to the NFL as 1st Round Picks. On Wednesday, Brian Hartline accepted the head coaching job at USF changing everything for Ohio State's wide receiver class.
Chris Henry Jr pushed off signing his Letter of Intent which has allowed schools like Oregon and USC to make one last push for the 5-star. Hartline's departure also played a role in Kayden Dixon-Wyatt flipping to USC and Legend Bey landing at Tennessee which is a saga of it's own.
Ryan Day calls out Oregon's history in last ditch effort to keep Chris Henry Jr
The concern from Chris Henry Jr is certainly fair as he committed to be the next great Wide Receiver developed by Brian Hartline. While Chris Henry Jr may feel that Hartline's departure affects his chances of becoming a first round pick, that isn't certain at Oregon either.
According to Rivals, Ryan Day reminded Henry Jr that Ohio State has had 9 wide receivers drafted in the first round proving it wasn't all Hartline while Oregon hasn't produced one.
Ryan Day called five-star Chris Henry Jr. last night, per Rivals, to remind him that Ohio State has had nine receivers selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and it was a collective effort to do so.
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) December 4, 2025
He added that Oregon has had ZERO first-round WR's. pic.twitter.com/aYJdLbCCF5
The shot at Oregon by Ryan Day is incredible, and it proves that he understands just how big of a recruit Chris Henry Jr is. Since joining the Big Ten, Oregon has already won a Conference Championship and has just 1 regular season loss in two years proving they're going to be a power for years to come in the Big Ten.
Ryan Day and Dan Lanning are both able to recruit Nationally for the top players meaning that this is just the beginning of a rivalry on the recruiting trail. Over the years, we're only going to see the two trade shots and split recruiting battles which will end up likely deciding who wins the National Championship some seasons.