Connect with us

Published

on

Chris Henry Jr., son of the late NFL wide receiver and adopted son of former NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, committed to Ohio State on Friday.

Henry, a Class of 2026 wide receiver from Withrow University High School in Cincinnati, received an offer from the Buckeyes on June 6, 2022, shortly before his freshman year of high school.

“I just felt like I was ready. I was just tired of waiting,” Henry told ESPN. “I already knew where I wanted to go. So when I went back there, it just already felt like home and I already felt like this is where I wanted to be.”

Chris Henry Sr., whose NFL career was hampered by multiple arrests, died in December 2009 when he fell out of the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute.

Jones, the younger Henry’s adoptive father, was a close friend and teammate of Chris Henry Sr.’s at West Virginia from 2002 to 2004.

Jones told ESPN in May that the “sky’s the limit” for 6-foot-4, 185-pound Henry because of his ball awareness, his ability to track the deep ball and the fluidity with which he runs his routes.

Henry, who also strongly considered Georgia, Clemson and USC, is the first 2026 commit for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline as the program continues to seek highly ranked receivers.

“They’re just letting me know that I’m their priority guy,” Henry said of Day and Hartline. “Every time I go up there, every time we speak, they’re just letting me know that I’m their guy, that they wanted me bad.”

Since Hartline became the Buckeyes’ wide receivers coach in 2018, Ohio State has signed 18 ESPN 300 wide receivers.

Jeremiah Smith (No. 9 overall) and Mylan Graham (No. 37) are committed as part of the Buckeyes’ 2024 class, which ESPN has ranked third.

Three players with ties to Ohio State were taken consecutively in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft: Garrett Wilson (No. 10; Jets), Chris Olave (No. 11; Saints) and Jameson Williams (No. 12; Lions). Williams spent his first two years with the Buckeyes before transferring to Alabama ahead of the 2021 season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was selected 20th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in April, and junior Marvin Harrison Jr., a Biletnikoff Award finalist, is expected to be a top-five selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

That lineage and productivity and Hartline’s passing concepts inside the offense played a huge role in Henry deciding to offer his pledge now.

“It honestly played a big role because I see what they’re doing now and I like how they develop their receivers over there,” Henry said.

The Buckeyes, who ranked ninth nationally with 490.7 yards per game last season, have led the Big Ten in total offense and have ranked in the top 10 nationally every year Hartline has been on staff.

Continue Reading

Sports

Nebraska nixes Tennessee home-and-home plan

Published

on

By

Nebraska nixes Tennessee home-and-home plan

The NebraskaTennessee football home-and-home football series scheduled for 2026 and 2027 will not be played after Nebraska opted out of the agreement.

Tennessee athletic director Danny White posted on X that Nebraska called off the series and added that Tennessee is “very disappointed” by the cancellation, especially so close to the initial game in 2026. The teams had been set to play in 2026 at Nebraska and at Tennessee the following year.

In a statement, Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen explained renovations to the team’s stadium, which will temporarily lower seating capacity, ultimately led to the decision.

“We are making plans to embark on major renovations of Memorial Stadium that may impact our seating capacity for the 2027 season,” Dannen said. “The best scenario for us is to have eight home games in 2027 to offset any potential revenue loss from a reduced capacity. The additional home games will also have a tremendous economic benefit on the Lincoln community.”

The Cornhuskers announced they will host Bowling Green in 2026 and Miami (Ohio) in 2027 on the dates when it was originally set to play Tennessee. Nebraska has never faced either school. The team will play eight homes in 2027 for the first time since 2013.

The cancellation ends a nearly two-decade process around a Nebraska-Tennessee series, which was originally agreed upon in 2006 and set for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In 2013, the two schools agreed to delay the games for a decade. Nebraska will pay $500,000 to get out of the scheduling agreement.

White told Volquest that the “buyout implications need to be much steeper” with an “old contract,” and the cancellation puts Tennessee in a bind. Tennessee, which opens the 2025 season against Syracuse in Atlanta, had its nonleague schedule set through the 2030 season. The school either must find an opponent who can fill the 2026 and 2027 dates for a home-and-home series, or explore neutral-site options.

“You really can’t pull an audible this late in the game,” White told Volquest.

Nebraska’s stadium renovation, the first phase of which had been set to begin after the 2024 season, has been delayed until after the 2025 season, at the earliest.

Tennessee and Nebraska have played only three times before, most recently in the 2016 Music City Bowl, won by the Vols. Nebraska beat Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl to secure a share of the national title that season.

Tennessee has been on the other side of a similar situation. The Vols in 2021 canceled a game against Army for the next season in 2022 and added Akron instead.

Information from ESPN’s Chris Low was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Changing stripes: Yanks OK well-groomed beards

Published

on

By

Changing stripes: Yanks OK well-groomed beards

TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees‘ facial hair and grooming policy, an infamous edict in place for nearly 50 years, was formally amended for the first time Friday.

In a statement, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said the organization will allow “well-groomed beards” effective immediately, changing a rule his father, George, established in 1976.

“In recent weeks I have spoken to a large number of former and current Yankees — spanning several eras — to elicit their perspectives on our longstanding facial hair and grooming policy, and I appreciate their earnest and varied feedback,” Hal Steinbrenner said in the statement. “These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back several years.

“Ultimately the final decision rests with me, and after great consideration, we will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward. It is the appropriate time to move beyond the familiar comfort of our former policy.”

George Steinbrenner implemented the mandate before the 1976 season, leaving players with a choice of being clean-shaven or wearing a mustache. Hal Steinbrenner kept the policy in place after becoming chairman and controlling owner of the franchise in 2008.

Players overwhelmingly obliged with the order over the next five decades, from spring training through October, often before letting themselves go during the offseason, though a few have pushed the limits.

In the 1990s, for example, star first baseman Don Mattingly was fined and benched by manager Stump Merril for refusing to trim his mullet. Four years later, Mattingly wore a goatee for part of his final season in 1995.

This year, All-Star closer Devin Williams, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December, reported for his spring training physical with a beard before shaving it down to a mustache for the team’s first workout the next day. On the other end, former Yankees Gleyber Torres and Clay Holmes reported to camp with their new teams sporting full beards.

Continue Reading

Sports

Sources: Gators to promote Callaway to OC

Published

on

By

Sources: Gators to promote Callaway to OC

The Florida Gators are expected to promote Russ Callaway to offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Callaway spent last season as Florida’s tight ends coach and co-coordinator. This move marks his third straight year with a promotion since joining the Gators in an off-field role in 2022.

Florida coach Billy Napier remains the play-caller. Callaway’s offensive responsibilities continue to grow, and he’ll remain with the tight ends in the position room.

Callaway, 37, has coordinating experience and time in the NFL. He spent 2016 to 2019 as Samford‘s offensive coordinator. From there, he spent a year at LSU as an analyst and a year with the New York Giants as an offensive assistant.

Florida, which finished 8-5, won four in a row to close last season, including wins over LSU, Ole Miss and at Florida State.

There’s optimism around Florida taking another jump in 2025 after true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway went 6-1 in seven starts. Florida returns 15 starters for 2025.

Callaway’s tight ends accounted for 44 receptions for 444 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.

Continue Reading

Trending