Chris Henry Jr. is supposed to be the next great Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver.
The five-star freshman arrived in Columbus for this season with a ton of hype. The problem is that he hasn’t lived up to any of it.
Henry hasn’t always seen a ton of playing time, but when he’s been on the field, he hasn’t looked like a peak-level talent yet.
On Saturday at home against Northwestern, that came to a climax with two brutal moments.
Chris Henry Jr. Bad Moments
The first tough moment from Henry came on Ohio State’s opening drive.
In the red zone, freshman QB Luke Fahey threw an interception, and Buckeyes fans were confused about what Henry was doing.
He appeared to be uncertain about what route he wanted to run — or Fahey and he at least weren’t on the same page.
It was hard to miss Henry’s confusion — because the pass went directly off Henry’s helmet to bounce up in the air and be picked off.
The second bad spot for Henry came in the second half. He went deep and beat his defender — the good news.
But the pass that hit Henry right in the hands wasn’t reeled in. He dropped it.
Ohio State isn’t good enough at the moment, with Julian Sayin out, to be able to afford mistakes like these from Henry.
Hope for Future
The good news for Ohio State is they have more time with Henry. Assuming they keep him out of the transfer portal, there’ll be time for the Buckeyes to build him up in the years ahead.
Ohio State no longer has their great WR guru, Brian Hartline, but this is still a staff that has proven it can turn receivers into stars. Henry could still be the next one.
If some day Henry is one of the top wideouts in the country, he’ll be able to look back on this Saturday and chuckle.
But Ohio State will surely be hoping that this isn’t the start of trouble to come for Henry. They need a top-ranking recruit like him to pan out.
Ohio State’s Chris Henry Jr. Under Fire for Bad Moments