COLUMBUS – St. Clairsville (OH) offensive tackle Avery Henry visited Ohio State for the Akron game. When the 6-foot-6 and 300-pound prospect arrived in Columbus he was committed to Iowa State. Since returning home, however, he has decommitted from the Cyclones.
He didn’t leave town with an offer from the Buckeyes but he has been in contact with the Ohio State coaching staff for quite some time now and a relationship is forming.
“I have been in and out of contact with Ohio State for about two years now and it really started Monday, the week of the game,” Henry told Buckeye Scoop. “They called me and said ‘hey we really want you to come down and we haven’t been able to see you, we want to see you and talk to you.’ That’s how it went down.”
As for how the actual visit went down, it was a bit different for Henry since he is a 2022 prospect with signing day only months away.
“So, in the beginning, it was a pretty normal visit, and then out of all 33 other recruits I was the only one to be called out and I went and talked to coach Day for about ten to 15 minutes,” Henry said. “He told me he was really impressed with me losing 60 pounds and his exact words were ‘We need more people like that.’ so I thought that was pretty cool and that’s the one thing I did differently than anyone else.”
Losing 60 pounds is no easy feat and Henry is proud that he was able to do it. Which made the recognition from Ohio State’s head coach even better.
“It meant a lot because at the time when I was losing all this weight I really did think that I lost my opportunity that I was just too heavy and nobody would want me because I was too slow,” he said. “That’s what pushed me to lose all that weight and coming from a coach like Ryan Day it meant the world. I knew I accomplished what I needed to accomplish and all around that was a really good feeling.”
Beyond coach Day and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, there is one other Ohio State staffer keeping in contact with Henry, Executive Director for Football Relations Tim Hinton. It was actually Hinton that invited Henry down and they two caught up on the field before kickoff.
“He told me that it was really good that I came and it would benefit me,” Henry said.
Henry also told Buckeye Scoop that he decommitted from Iowa State for reasons beyond just interest from Ohio State. It was more about his family.
“Realizing that 12 hours is really far away and it would really hurt my family,” he said. “This isn’t just about me, it’s about my family at the end of the day too. Roughly I’m looking for a six-hour radius.”
With a reset in his recruitment, Henry is fielding calls and texts from numerous schools in the region.
“Really everyone was pretty respectful about me being committed,” he said. “I would still get texts from West Virginia, Ohio State, Pitt and really now it’s doubled. I’m getting texts from Miami (OH) and Cincinnati.”
Finally, Saturday’s visit for the Akron game was only the beginning when it comes to Henry and Ohio State. He says the Buckeyes already have a plan for what’s next for both parties.
“They said they want to come to see me at my school, come to my practice, and have another talk with me,” he said. “As far as I know, that’s gonna happen in the next couple of weeks.”
Henry decommitting from Iowa State the day after visiting Columbus is certainly an interesting storyline, but it’s early. Ohio State is still evaluating the St. Clairsville product while West Virginia is just a short drive away and his grandfather played there. Ultimately, senior film and relationships will tell the tale with Ohio State and Henry.
