Ohio State football: Jaxon Smith-Njigba out for Rutgers game

The Ohio State football team has yet to play a game with a fully healthy team. They’ve been missing defensive players for the entire season, but no injury has been more impactful than the absence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He’s the best player on the team and hasn’t been able to do much.

JSN got hurt in the season-opener against Notre Dame. Since then, he has hardly played any football. He got hurt in the first quarter of that game, hurting his hamstring. Since then, he’s played just a few series in the Toledo game. That’s been about it for him.

Now it will be at least another week before we see Smith-Njigba as he has been ruled out of the game today against Rutgers. This has become the new norm for the Buckeyes this season. They’ve played without their best player the entire year and will do so again today.

Injuries can be a blessing in disguise sometimes. They allow the guys behind them to get some experience and that helps them build up depth. But at this point, we are halfway through the season. Is there a scenario in which Smith-Njigba just decides to not come back?

Smith-Njigba is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. I think there is a non-zero chance that he decides to sit out the rest of the season to protect his draft stock. It wouldn’t be the first time that a high-profile player has done something like that.

Ryan Day has said that JSN is itching to get back out there and I tend to believe him. I don’t think JSN will sit out the entire season to protect his draft stock. But with every passing week, it gets more and more likely.