Does a New Development Signal WVU Could Bring Chis Henry Jr. Home?

As WVU football fans continue to be excited over recent recruiting wins, is it now possible the top prospect most thought they could only dream about watching as a Mountaineer may actually join Rich Rodriguez?

Well, a major national outlet is now telling Mountaineer Nation that there is a chance…. On3 Sports has updated the profile of legacy wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., signaling a possible opportunity for WVU.

After having Henry, who committed to Ohio State two years ago and then reaffirmed his decision again in April, as 96% locked in with the Buckeyes as recent as earlier in the week to now just 30.8% to OSU. That’s not the only new development though. They also now have West Virginia with a 18.2% chance to flip Henry, the only school with a double-digit percentage besides Ohio State.

Cincinnati is at 8.2% and both Georgia and Miami (FL) are at 6.8%, suggesting there’s a slim possibility he flips to a program besides WVU.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Henry Jr. has been viewed as a top 2026 recruit for years. Henry current attends Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. He’s ranked as the No. 1 California player in his class and No. 10 nationally by 247 Sports.

Henry visited WVU in 2023 but had always been favored to choose Ohio State. Henry drew heavy interest from Oregon, USC and Mami after reopening his commitment before sticking with Ohio State. He held over 30 offers from a wide range of Power Four schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, the unthinkable offer from Pitt, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

In addition to having Mountaineer blood by birth, Henry has also been mentored by another WVU football legend. Adam “Pacman” Jones, who played with Sr., both in college and the NFL, took Jr. and his siblings in and helped raise them after their father’s tragic passing at only 26 years old.

Henry Sr. spent three seasons in Morgantown. After redshirting in 2002, he won Big East Freshman of the Year with 41 catches, 1,0006 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2003. In 2004, he caught 52 passes for 872 yards and a dozen scores before declaring for the 2005 NFL Draft. At the draft, he was selected in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals. He died just four years later in 2009.

Find more coverage of Chris Henry Jr. and WVU football recruiting at WV Sports Now.