Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba entered the 2022 college football season as the top returning receiver in college football and was considered by many as the top wide receiver in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Smith-Njigba got hit with a little bad luck to start the season when he was injured on the first drive of Ohio State’s season-opening win against Notre Dame. But after another week off, it looks like head coach Ryan Day has a positive update.
According to Griffin Strom of Eleven Warriors, Day expects Smith-Njigba to play in this weekend’s game against the Toledo Rockets.
Ryan Day says "we're going to expect (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) to play this weekend," but the team won't risk his health if he's not 100%.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 13, 2022
Despite the positive update, Day said the team won’t risk Smith-Njigba’s health if he’s still not 100 percent healthy ahead of Saturday’s game. This is likely due to Ohio State’s opponent, as the Buckeyes are a heavy favorite over the Rockets in Saturday’s game.
In Smith-Njigba’s absence, Ohio State has had a number of players step up, including Marvin Harrison Jr. – the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison. Harrison had a breakout performance against Arkansas State this weekend, scoring three touchdowns with 184 receiving yards. He’s even drawn praise with one NFL Draft analyst favoring him over Smith-Njigba, even though he’s a year younger.
