Ohio State football: The best Buckeye player you don’t know

Everyone knows the big stars at Ohio State. Justin Fields, Chris Olave, Wyatt Davis, and Shaun Wade already get recognized for their greatness. But this is the best Buckeye player who no one outside of Columbus is talking about.

Ohio State always has a wealth of talent on their roster. They are the premier program in the Big Ten and have been for the last two decades. Stars like Justin Fields, Shaun Wade, and Chris Olave get a lot of the headlines, and deservedly so based on their talent and production.

All of those players will be key if the Buckeyes want to get back to the College Football Playoff. But there is a player that no one outside the city of Columbus is talking about that is going to be a star sooner rather than later. That player is true freshman Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Smith-Njigba is one of the highly touted freshman receivers that will be joining the Buckeyes this season. While Julian Fleming is getting all of the attention, Smith-Njigba might actually be better than him right now. That’s a scary thought for every Big Ten team out there.

Smith-Njigba is also a five-star recruit coming out of high school. While Fleming is considered the better pure athlete of the two, Smith-Njigba is more polished right out of the gate. He is 6’1 188, so he has good enough size. His strongest quality is his ability to get separation from defenders.

This freshman receiver is so good that he has already lost his black stripe. He could have some big plays for the Buckeye offense in his first season. If he is anything as good as he was in high school, this Ohio State offense will be completely unstoppable.

It won’t take long for people outside of Columbus to learn his name. People around the program think he might be the freshman to have the biggest impact this season. If the Buckeyes are going to avoid falling into trap games, they need players like Smith-Njigba to step up when the going gets tough.

Expect the freshman wide receiver to have a stellar first season. I bet you he makes the Freshman All-American team at the end of the year too.