Spring practices have now begun for colleges. The natty hangover would surely have dialed down a notch for Ohio State now. A season that is boldly etched in OSU’s history books, Ryan Day now embarks on a new journey of continuing that legacy. To do that, the 46-year-old has signed a new contract that would pay him $11.5 million annually and would see him stay at Ohio State till 2031. While the future already looks bright under the Buckeyes HC, there seems to be a serious concern ahead of the big season.

The future looks bright under Ryan Day, and players and prospects are jumping on board with the possibility of another national championship run. To back that up, Ryan Day has pulled off a 5th-ranked class nationally. That boasts high-profile prospects like Tavien St. Clair (QB), Devin Sanchez (CB), and Quincy Porter (WR). His transfer additions, like CJ Donaldson (RB) from West Virginia, Ethan Onianwa (OT) from Rice Owls, and Max Klare (TE) from Purdue, will surely provide him the added edge he needs. However, now that the class of 2025 is sorted out, all eyes are on his 2026 class, which is building up in the same direction. Although, there is a catch.

Ryan Day has so far roped in 5 commits for his 2026 class, including blue-chip prospects like Max Riley (IOL), Jakob Weatherspoon, and Jaeden Ricketts (WR). But, the major highlight of the class is undoubtedly Chris Henry Jr. (WR). A five-star rated wide receiver prospect who is ranked 2nd nationally and has everything the OSU honcho would need to fill in the place of Jeremiah Smith in the future. Veteran ESPN analysts Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill even compared him to Tetairoa McMillan—the Arizona Wildcats star who is set to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Henry and McMillan each have rare height and length at their position. Few wide receivers who are 6-foot-5 or taller can move, shake and produce after the catch at their level. Both targets show an amazing run-and-catch aspect in the vertical passing game,” they said. And since Henry Jr. is away from the spotlight, other teams are not budging down yet in his recruitment, and flipping him is a real possibility.

Tom Downey, an Ohio State insider and host of ‘Ohio State Football Report by Chat Sports,’ provided a scenario where Chris Henry Jr.’s commitment prospects look quite real. “Chris Henry Jr one of the top recruits in the upcoming cycle, the Ohio State commit and I know there’s a lot of flip freakout potential…He is going to take official visits starting late this month into June. May 30th he’s going out to Michigan, June 6th to USC, June 13th to Oregon, and June 20 to Ohio State“.

While Downey did urge Ohio State fans not to panic about the player’s decommittment. But, things can sure build on that note. Chris Henry, who has 35 offers in his bag, has Oregon after him, which sure looks like a wild goose chase. He even took to social media earlier and posted pictures of Ducks training and had even posted one with Dan Lanning himself. He even proclaimed his admiration for their coaches and the program to Chad Simmons of On3.

“Obviously they had a great season this year, the relationship I have with them is strong, they have a great relationship with my mom and my family“. He even had all words of praise for Oregon WRs coach Junior Adams. “When I went up there to the Saturday Night Live, we clicked, he’s just a good coach, he knows what he’s talking about. Great guy for sure”.  The player had visited Oregon’s camp back in January and has since then opened up his schedule to accommodate another potential visit to Eugene on June 13, which will be an 0fficial visit. So, all in all, his mood looks to be leaning towards exploring options and choosing the right fit. That may come as a shocker for Ohio State.

A prospect who screams talent and poise and has a solid frame of 6’5″ and 195 lbs. He also has an illustrious sporting background as he is the son of late Chris Henry Jr. who played as a wide receiver for the Bengals. His sister is also a top basketball athlete for Ohio State, and his brother is a well-touted 2027 basketball prospect. With that kind of legacy behind him, the WR prodigy sure will have the right mentality to achieve success wherever he lands. His high school career is a testament to that.

A wide receiver who has enormous aerial reach and exhibits world-class agility and pace. He sure had a career filled with highs in 2022, in which he won the Max Preps Freshman all-American award. He played as a wide receiver and DB. Catching 29-inch perfect passes for 292 yards and scoring 5 TDs. Although Chris Henry’s 2024 season was marred by a knee injury, he still is a highly sought prospect and looks to provide that added depth and class in the receiver room.

More woes for Ryan Day as Lane Kiffin emerges from the shadows?

Ohio State’s probability rankings, as per On3, have fallen quite drastically, as they have just a 30.8% chance of retaining the player. Other teams like West Virginia and Cincinnati are listed as second and third. However, Oregon’s case is something strange yet concerning for Ryan Day. Because, if he commits to them, that will be a huge blow to Ryan Day and Brian Hartline’s efforts. Well, if this news wasn’t enough, there is another one to add to Ryan Day’s woes.

Deuce Geralds, the four-star DL who is highly touted to land in Columbus, has had a new turn of events and looks to be leaning toward Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss. Billy Embody on the On3 recruits episode of March 21 provides the scenario. “The Rebels continue to have one of the top defensive lines in college football, and they do that by recruiting and restocking the interior,” he said. “One guy that they got back to campus, an Ole Miss legacy Deuce Geralds out of the Peach State, 4-star prospect”. So, what’s in the store for Ryan Day now?

On3 currently has Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss listed as second with just a 3.1% probability.  However, the 6’1″ and 275 lbs DL has all the chances to make Ole Miss his new home. He has made other visits too, to Clemson and LSU. But has visited the Rebels the most (5 times) followed by LSU (4). The player will be visiting Michigan on his second unofficial visit on 28th March. All in all, it looks like his commitment battle sure will go down to the last wire with Ryan Day and Lane Kiffin locking horns.