We’ve all been following the up-and-down injury concerns for Ohio State star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He’s been in, out, maybe in, maybe out, then out again — all stemming from a hamstring injury he sustained in the first game of the year vs. Notre Dame.
And while the Ohio State coaching staff has been rather coy about his return, there’s no question the injury seems to be more severe than anyone wants to let on. I mean, hamstring injuries can be tricky, but the effort to get Smith-Njigba back on the field fully healthy has been a struggle, to say the least.
Thanks to Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch, it now looks like we may be waiting a little longer for Smith-Njiga’s return, maybe not until November 26, a date that’s pretty important on the calendar.
“The next time Jaxon is in scarlet and gray, he’ll be 110%,” Smith-Njigba’s dad Maada told the Dispatch. “I don’t know if that will be against the team up north or the Fiesta Bowl (the most likely College Football Playoff semifinal site for Ohio State).
“I really feel like anytime between the team up north and the Fiesta Bowl, he’ll be ready.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's dad: Return for Michigan game is best-case scenario for OSU star https://t.co/oE7fllecLI
— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) November 2, 2022
Such a timetable then begs the question of just how severe the injury is and if Smith-Njigba may have to have a procedure in-between to promote faster healing. According to the report from the Dispatch, his father says that’s not the case.
“He doesn’t need surgery,” Maada Smith-Njigba told the Dispatch.
Whew. It’s good to know that one of the best receivers to ever suit up in the scarlet and gray won’t have such a setback that he’ll have to recover from under the knife, but it’s also interesting to note how long it has taken to get him back to playing shape.
There’s also another concern some Ohio State fans have been wondering about. With such a timeline dragging out, one might wonder if we’ll the Nick Bosa plan where Smith-Njigba shuts things down to get ready for the NFL draft. Again, according to the story, that isn’t something the Smith-Njigba family is entertaining. It’s the exact opposite in fact.
“We’re not going to do the (Nick) Bosa thing,” Maada Smith-Njigba said. “I’m not saying anything bad about them, but this is a championship season. He came in with these guys, with C.J. (Stroud) and Julian (Fleming) and (Luke) Wypler and Paris (Johnson Jr.) and all those guys. He’s not going to leave them.
“Those guys are all one. They’re one unit, one heartbeat. For him not to be there in uniform as a soldier to battle with them, it hurts. It really does.”
So, good and bad news OSU fans. It does indeed look and feel like Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be back on the field in an Ohio State uniform at some point this season, it just may take a few more weeks to make that happen.
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