Why Adam 'Pacman' Jones sees Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. as 'spitting image' of late father

Ohio State has begun to build its 2026 recruiting class.

On Friday at the Buckeyes' "SummerFest" recruiting event, wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. committed to Ohio State, becoming its first commitment in the 2026 class.

And that commitment is something Adam "Pacman" Jones is excited about.

Henry is the son of the late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, who tragically died in an accident. Since then, Jones has been Chris Henry Jr.'s guardian, telling Pat McAfee on the "Pat McAfee Show" Tuesday that words couldn't express how happy he was for the 2026 wide receiver.

"The main thing I am so proud of him about is through all this experience and all this stuff that's going on, he's been the most humble kid," Jones told McAfee. "He hasn't changed... He's still taking out the trash. He's still doing the little things. I think that goes a long way, more than the football stuff, because the football stuff is a freak of nature."

Henry, who will play for Withrow High School in Cincinnati next season, caught 29 passes for 292 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman at West Clermont High School.

Henry, standing at 6-foot-6, 196 pounds according to Jones, is a "spitting image" of his father, who played in 55 games for the Bengals from 2005-09.

"For anybody that met Slim," Jones said, referring to Chris Henry, "you see (Chris Henry Jr.), it's like, 'Yeah, that's him.' Everything is identical. Even the way they run, they talk, body language. His attitude is a lot more better than Slim, I would say. but as far as competing and being competitive on the field and outside of the field with his schoolwork and all that, he's doing an unbelievable job."

Henry has attended summer recruiting camps at Ohio State for this past two years, seeing himself in the same vein as multiple five-star receivers that have come before, like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Smith.

“When I watch Ohio State, and I watch Marv, Jeremiah and stuff like that, I can see myself in that position,” Henry said.

Henry is one of three receivers Ohio State has offered in the 2026 class along with Malachi Toney of American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Brody Keefe of Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Henry's sister, Seini Hicks, committed to Ohio State’s women’s basketball team and joining its 2024 class in April.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Adam 'Pacman' Jones excited for Chris Henry Jr. Ohio State commitment