Just 24 hours after Ohio State let out a sigh of relief upon finding out it had been invited to play in the College Football Playoff, one of the Buckeyes’ biggest stars — receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — told the country he would not play in the Peach Bowl semifinal against defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Georgia.
For the Buckeyes, his decision reflected a reality they have faced since Week 1, when he suffered a strained hamstring that he would only aggravate with each attempt to return to the field.
“The decision to turn pro was made after I was unable to come back on multiple occasions during the season and the doctors determined I would be unable to participate in the playoffs,” Smith-Njigba told ESPN.
As Smith-Njigba attempted to rehabilitate his injury during Ohio State’s 11-1 season, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day remained patient and resolute in not pushing him to play, reflecting a long-standing philosophy of being unwilling to risk a player’s professional future for the sake of winning games.
However, much was expected of Smith-Njigba after a breakout 2021 season in which he broke the Big Ten’s single-season record for receiving yards, and set Rose Bowl and Ohio State records with 15 catches for 347 yards in a 48-45 comeback win against Pac-12 champion Utah.
One year after Alabama’s DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 30 years, Smith-Njigba was projected to lead the chase for the award in 2022.
But after catching 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine TDs last season, he mustered just five catches for 43 yards in the 2022 campaign. Most programs would miss that kind of production.
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The Buckeyes, to put it simply, have not. OSU wide receivers coach Brian Hartline has been on an unprecedented run of procuring and developing talent at the position.
In 2020, the depth chart featured first-round picks Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams and Smith-Njigba.
In 2021, both Olave and Wilson claimed Smith-Njigba was the most talented wide receiver in their room, and that was reflected in Williams’ decision to transfer to Alabama, where he was one of the best wideouts in the sport.
Smith-Njigba’s injury-plagued 2022 season opened the door for Marvin Harrison, Jr. to develop into a Biletnikoff Award finalist. And behind Marvin the Martian is the No. 1 receiver recruit in the class of 2021, Emeka Egbuka, and the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2020, Julian Fleming.
And there are more coming, including five-star 2023 prospect Brandon Inniss. So, as awful as it is for football fans to have seen the last of Smith-Njigba at the college level, his absence does not spell the end for Ohio State against a Bulldogs team they are a touchdown underdog against.
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RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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