Ohio State football: Could Jaxon Smith-Njigba return for the College Football Playoff?

The Ohio State football team is heading to the College Football Playoff for the third time in four seasons under Ryan Day after securing the final spot in the playoff rankings. There is a giant question looming over this Buckeye football team heading into the playoff on whether or not they will have stud wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba available to play.

Smith-Njigba has missed basically the whole season for Ohio State while dealing with a leg injury. He has tried to come back a handful of times this season, but his leg injury continued to be a bother. Smith-Njigba tried to give it a go for the Buckeyes on October 22nd when they defeated Iowa, we haven’t seen him in action since then.

It will have been over two months since JSN has played in an actual football game for Ohio State by the time they take on Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Ryan Day was asked on ESPN during the Playoff Selection Show about the chances of a return from Smith-Njigba in the Peach Bowl and he said this:

"We’ll probably have more an update in the next couple days on exactly where that’s at."

It doesn’t sound too encouraging from Day as in previous weeks he hasn’t provided an update on the wideout. However, I still think there’s some possibility that Smith-Njigba could return. Smith-Njigba has taken to social media this past week that could be a hint at a return for this playoff run.

Now these tweets and replies might not mean that he’s trying to come back, but it does catch the eye of every Ohio State football fan. The offense for the Ohio State football team is ridiculously good as it is, but if you add a healthy Jaxon Smith-Njigba it gets even more dangerous.

It means that the opposing defense will have to put their second-best defensive back on Marvin Harrison Jr. That is a match-up C.J. Stroud would be thrilled to have if the opportunity presents itself.

Nothing is for certain on whether or not Ohio State will get a return from Smith-Njigba for their match-up with Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Hopefully, we get an update from Ryan Day in the coming days on the status of Smith-Njigba. It would be a massive addition to this already electric offense to potentially go on a run at a National Championship.

The Buckeyes take on Georgia in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. We should hear news on the status of Jaxon Smith-Njigba very soon.