Wednesday kicked off the Early Signing Period in College Football starting a 3-day period of true chaos on the recruiting trail. The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the day hoping there would be no drama as they looked to sign another Top 5 recruiting class. At the top of Ohio State's list of priorities was locking down their two elite wide receiver commits Chris Henry Jr and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt.
That task instantly hit a speed bump this morning when Ohio State Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers coach Brian Hartline was announced as the next head coach at USF. Losing arguably the best recruiter in the country and the most accomplished developer of wide receivers turned out to be a major issue for the Buckeyes.
Brian Hartline's departure is having instant ramifications for Ohio State
As soon as Ohio State lost Brian Hartline, the recruiting class took a massive hit as Buckeyes commit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt who was trending toward a flip ended up flipping to the In-State USC Trojans.
BREAKING: Four-Star WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has Flipped his Commitment from Ohio State to USC, he tells me for @rivals ⁰⁰The 6’2 190 WR from Oakland, CA had been Committed to the Buckeyes since May⁰⁰“God’s Plan”⁰⁰https://t.co/ZPM75UKlz1 pic.twitter.com/klCa50FTbb
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 3, 2025
While losing Kayden Dixon-Wyatt to USC is a big blow to Ohio State's class, main concern was keeping Chris Henry Jr on board. The day instantly started with nerves as Chris Henry Jr shared a picture of 3 hats last night implying a decision would be made despite his long standing commitment to the Buckeyes.
Five-star Ohio State WR commit Chris Henry Jr. has his hats ready for National Signing Day@Rivals https://t.co/2HS0lpzifV pic.twitter.com/p8j7MYS44X
— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) December 3, 2025
It turns out a decision may not be made today which is actually bad news for the Ohio State Buckeyes. 24/7 Sports Insider Tom Loy shared that Chris Henry Jr is now weighing his options as this isn't a bidding war as the news of Brian Hartline leaving has had a massive impact on his decision.
UPDATE: 5⭐️ Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. has NOT sent in his paperwork to Ohio State.
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 3, 2025
"He's weighing options, according to him, at both Oregon and USC...
This isn't a money thing. This is clearly a (Brian) Hartline thing. He wants to make sure he makes the right decision."… https://t.co/mNTbMoRPDy pic.twitter.com/E8PBibbFyW
The next few hours and potentially even days will have Ohio State fans as well as Oregon and USC who are hoping for a flip on edge. Chris Henry Jr is the 7th ranked player in the Country and the Nation's top wide receiver making him one of the most sought after recruits in the Country.
While Oregon has long seemed like the biggest threat to the Buckeyes, USC could make a serious push as they've secured the top ranked class. The Trojans flipped fellow Ohio State commit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt who's also Henry's high school teammate which could make them a bigger threat for the California native.