Ohio State Football: Jaxon Smith-Njigba primed for huge year

The Ohio State football team had three of the top receivers in the country last season. Two of them, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, are now headed to the NFL where they will both be first-round picks. The third one, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, might be the best of them all.

Smith-Njigba actually put up the best stats of the group last season. He had a whopping 95 catches for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns last season, including the over 300 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns he had in the final game of the year against Utah.

With those other two great receivers gone, Smith-Njigba is primed for an even bigger year. He will be the number one option on this team in the passing game, no matter where he lines up. He will likely stay in the slot because that’s where he is the most effective.

C.J. Stroud now has chemistry with him too. I’d be shocked if Smith-Njigba didn’t have double-digit touchdown catches this season as a junior. You know he wants to put up big numbers too because he is trying to be a first-round pick in next year’s draft.

The Ohio State football program is at its most successful when they have multiple excellent receivers. Smith-Njigba won’t be alone. He’ll have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka with him on the outside, and Julian Fleming out there too. They all are supremely talented.

The Buckeyes are set to be a preseason top-five team in 2022. Smith-Njigba and this receiving corp is a big reason for that. He is truly something special and will show everyone that he is one of the best weapons in the country. Remember, he’s the reason Jameson Williams transferred to Alabama.

Brian Hartline has done an excellent job with these receivers. His track record of developing these guys continues to grow.