Highly-ranked wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. from Ohio transfers to Mater Dei

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The No. 1-ranked sophomore wide receiver in the nation has transferred to Mater Dei, the school confirmed Monday.

Chris Henry Jr. of Withrow High in Cincinnati, Ohio has enrolled at Mater Dei, a spokesperson for the Trinity League school stated.

Henry (6-5, 185) is rated as the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2026 by 247Sports. In July, he committed to Ohio State.

His brother DeMarcus Henry, known for his basketball skills, also has enrolled at Mater Dei, the school confirmed.

The boys are sons of former NFL wide receiver Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals. Henry died in 2009 at age 26 after reportedly falling from the back of a pickup truck in what authorities called a domestic dispute.

Last season at Withrow, Chris Henry Jr. had 71 catches for 1,127 yards and 10 touchdowns to help the school finish 12-2 and advance to the Division II regional finals, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Mater Dei claimed CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State Open Division championships last season in finishing 13-1.

The Monarchs’ offense was led by four-year stating quarterback Elijah Brown, who graduated early to attend Stanford.

The team’s backup quarterbacks were freshmen Reagan Toki and Furian Infererra following the in-season transfer of Cole Leinart to Newport Harbor.

Henry joins a receiving group that is expected to return junior Marcus Harris and sophomore Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Harris led Mater Dei with 43 receptions last season while Dixon-Wyatt finished third with 33.

Harris has been offered recently by Alabama and Washington among others.

Mater Dei’s departures at the wide receiver include senior Marcus Brown, another Stanford commit, and Jonah Smith, a sophomore who transferred to Santa Margarita.

Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram