The Ohio State Buckeyes, not the LSU Tigers or Alabama Crimson Tide, lay claim to the NFL alumnus who's made the most money on a single contract in the history of the league at receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, "Offensive Player of the Year and Super-Bowl champion Jaxon Smith-Njigba reached agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that now makes him the highest-paid WR in NFL history. The deal averages $42.15 million per year, and includes over $120 million guaranteed, both setting records for any wide receiver."
That, as Saturday Blitz's Nicholas Rome notes, makes the Ohio State University the official owners of the "WRU" label, something Brian Hartline's last half-decade of stellar receiver recruiting has clinched in Columbus.
"Ohio State has been in a debate with the likes of LSU and Alabama for the crown as Wide Receiver U. Jaxon Smith-Njigba becoming the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL gives Ohio State the crown if the Buckeyes didn't have it already," Rome wrote.
"The Buckeyes have gone 4 straight NFL Drafts with a wide receiver picked in the first round, with 5 selections in that span. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison, and Emeka Egbuka have all gone on to become stars at the NFL level, making picking an Ohio State wide receiver the safest decision an NFL team can make in the draft.
"The pipeline of Buckeyes heading to the NFL as superstars is showing no signs of slowing down, even as Brian Hartline heads to USF. Carnell Tate is next in line as a projected 1st Round Pick before Jeremiah Smith will have a chance to be the 1st Overall Pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Keeping the pipeline flowing post Brian Hartline may be a challenge, but the Buckeyes are far and away the best at developing wide receivers."
Ohio State's 'WRU' label may not be enough to carry recruiting for long
The short-term boost of being able to sell recruits on the fact that the Buckeyes have the alum with the highest-paid receiving contract ever cannot be dismissed completely. It isn't going to carry weight for long, though.
That last point Rome made about replacing Brian Hartline is essential. Cortez Hankton has a massive responsibility to keep the talent rolling in at the WR coach. Luckily, he helped LSU enter "WRU" conversations by bringing Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to Baton Rouge.
We'll see if Hartline's standard could be replicated as the offense switches to a slower, grind-em-out offensive playbook under Arthur Smith. "WRU" is never a permanent label, especially in a post-NIL/rev-share College Football world.