Chris Henry Jr. began his junior season of high school football on Thursday night and made his debut for Mater Dei. The son of the late NFL wide receiver and adopted son of former NFL cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones immediately picked up right where he left off as a dominant pass-catcher.
Ohio State is going to be thrilled to have him in a few years if it can hold on!
Henry, a junior, announced his decision to play for the Buckeyes in July of 2023 and seems locked in to his commitment. He transferred from from Withrow High School in Ohio to the perennial powerhouse in California in February to elevate his game against better competition.
Thursday was his first test. Corona Centennial, ranked No. 2 in the country, hosted Mater Dei, ranked No. 1. However, the former was without its five-star starting quarterback so the latter blew them out 42-17.
Chris Henry Jr. is a monster!
Your eyes gravitate to Henry as soon as he steps on the field.
Although the final score reflected a blowout, Monarchs quarterback Dash Beierly only completed 10 of 20 passes for 110 yards and two scores. Those numbers don’t really jump out off of the page but Henry still found a way to make a difference!
His athleticism was on full display during pregame.
2026 5-star WR @ChrisHenryJr getting loose for @MDFootball.
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) August 23, 2024
Henry is committed to Ohio State with schools like Oregon, Texas and USC still in pursuit. https://t.co/qJF14Mp73J pic.twitter.com/YVEIRZXa8O
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound wide receiver officially announced his arrival with seven minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Beierly threw him a jump ball to the corner. Henry went up and pulled down a touchdown over the defensive back in one-on-one coverage.
He let the Centennial corner know he got bodied as soon he came down with six!
Chris Henry Jr. is a top-five recruit in the Class of 2026. Some high school football and college football recruiting sites consider him to be the best junior in the country. Thursday was a just a taste of what is to come! His father, who tragically passed away at 26 years old, would be very proud.