Ohio State fans have mixed feelings about Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There is no doubt that he is one of the best receivers to ever come through Columbus. However, his final season with the Buckeyes left a lot of people with a sour taste in their mouths regarding JSN.
Smith-Njigba only played three games in his final season in Columbus. He hurt his hamstring against Notre Dame and was never the same. There were reports that he could have played later in the season, but he decided against it. Now, he is setting the record straight on that decision.
Former Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba says he wanted to play in the CFP
While appearing on The Ryen Russillo Show, Smith-Njigba addressed the final season and his hamstring injury. He claims that he wanted to play late in the season and help the Buckeyes try to win a national title.
"If I could play, which I wanted to very badly, to help my team win a national championship, I would've. There's no doubt in the world. But the circumstances prevented me not to, and I just had to deal with that and to move on, which was a big step in my life."
Hamstring injuries can certainly linger, but it did seem that three months was excessively long for a hamstring strain to heal. Still, he claims that his impending draft stock did not affect his decision to sit out the College Football Playoff. He says he just simply wasn't healthy enough to play.
Since leaving the Buckeyes, Smith-Njigba has turned into the best receiver in the NFL. He led the league in receiving last season, going for 1,793 yards while catching 10 touchdowns. After helping the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, he got a massive contract extension in the offseason.
Ohio State fans might not like Jaxon Smith-Njigba's response
Speaking as a fan who has mixed feelings about JSN, his response is less than ideal. He understood the chatter around him before the draft, and he still claims that he's thought about what it would have been like to return to Ohio State for another season. However, that was never in the cards for him at the time.
Ohio State ultimately lost in 2022 to Georgia in the College Football Playoff semi-final. Noah Ruggles had a chance to win the game as time expired, but missed a long field goal. Had JSN been available for that game, perhaps they wouldn't have needed a field goal at the end to win it.
Whatever the case, Smith-Njigba is another example of an Ohio State receiver dominating at the next level. He is one of the Buckeye receivers to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, and that has happened for five straight seasons. Next year, it will happen again with Jeremiah Smith.
Regardless of fans' feelings about JSN, he is still a vital part of Ohio State's story in the Ryan Day era. He is someone who can be used in recruiting to get other five-star receivers. He attributed his development in college to Coach Mick Marotti and the other receivers around him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google