A top ranking 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. from the class of 2026 recruite, flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Oregon.
People realized Ryan Day would still need to put in extra effort to retain 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. when the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to secure his VERY early commitment in July 2023. Although Henry doesn’t want to transfer to Michigan, he seems interested in another Big Ten team.
Henry met with Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks in Eugene last weekend, marking yet another unofficial visit. Henry stated in an interview with Tom Loy of 247 that he is still dedicated to the Buckeyes, but that Oregon had a significant influence on the young player while he was in town:
Five-star Ohio State pledge Chris Henry Jr. just traveled to Oregon.
Prior to the Early Signing Period in December of next year, Henry has repeatedly stated that he is committed to the Buckeyes and that nothing will cause him to change his mind. But the fact that he’s making other trips and praising another organization is definitely getting people talking.
Most people agree that Henry is a very talented person. He is ranked five stars and the top wide receiver in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite. In addition, he is ranked third nationally among 2026 prospects.
Henry, who stands 6’6″ and weighs 195 pounds, has a great size for an outside receiver. In the end zone at The Shoe, Buckeyes Nation is already imagining him going up for jump balls. But supporters in Oregon are also hoping he would do the same for Lanning.
Henry’s recruitment has not changed as of yet, and he will still attend Ohio State after high school. Oregon won’t give up easily, though, and it will continue to press for a flip until Henry signs the paperwork and formally commits to his preferred college.
A Significant Loss in Recruiting for the Staff Vacancy as Assistant Coach.
Ra’Shaad Samples’ departure to the Dallas Cowboys would be a setback for Oregon’s recruiting efforts, especially in his home state of Texas, where he helped snag elite players like Tobi Haastrup and Dakorien Moore. His status as one of the nation’s best recruiters was further cemented when he assisted the Ducks in acquiring Cooper Perry, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill.
The 30-year-old Dallas native, a rising star in coaching circles, is coveted by the Cowboys, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports on Sunday morning. Jordan James and Noah Whittington, whom he taught at Oregon, rushed for 1,807 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, with James accounting for 1,267 yards and 15 of those totals.
Samples will be interviewed by the Cowboys this week, according to Zenitz. Before taking the position at Arizona State, he was a coach at SMU and TCU after an injury ended his playing career at Houston. He was the NFL’s youngest position coach while he was with the Rams.
After soft batch cookie Carlos Locklyn left for Ohio State in April of last year, Dan Lanning hired Samples from Arizona State. With two state 6A titles and 300 career victories, his father, Reginald Samples, has been the head coach at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas, for a long time.
At 25 years old in 2020, Samples noted on his phone that he aimed to become the nation’s youngest head coach. Speaking with Chris Hummer from CBS Sports, he asked, “When you consider your ambitions and what you’re trying to achieve, are you settling for comfort, or are you pushing yourself beyond it?”
He previously served as Sean McVay’s running backs coach with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL. He said to Hummer, “As an African-American coach, one of the drawbacks of being youthful and gregarious is that you do end up being called a recruiter.
“Aside from that, I was fortunate to work as a GA for Brian Johnson, GA for Drew Mehringer, and I had a freshman All-American who never played the position during my time at SMU. Sometimes, your on-field accomplishments get overlooked. It wasn’t a slap in the face of what I done, in my opinion. I believe I was charismatic, I was young, and I was recruiting.
That’s the easiest thing to focus on, in my opinion. However, I believe that attending the league only aided in my development as a coach. I had to put the recruiting aspect aside and concentrate on it. I believed it was essential to my growth, career, and opportunity to become a head coach.
The return to the league may slow him down a little if head coaching is the ultimate goal. As RB coach and co-offensive coordinator, Samples receives $650,000 year from his Oregon deal. Len Pasquarelli of ESPN claims that NFL position coaches earn at least $400,000.
Nevertheless, Samples has a house in Dallas, and it’s a chance to improve the resume and distance oneself from the reputation of “great recruiter.” Rather than being a drawback, the Ducks view the possibility of losing coaches as a normal byproduct of selecting bright, driven individuals. Dan Lanning has demonstrated a talent for identifying and interviewing good candidates, coaches who share his passion and ambition for the game.
