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Ohio State star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not play in the College Football Playoff due to a lingering hamstring injury and will declare for the NFL Draft.
“I want to be out there competing with my brothers more than anything,” Smith-Njigba told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “The decision to turn pro was made after I was unable to come back on multiple occasions during the season, and the doctors determined I would be unable to participate in the playoffs.”
Smith-Njigba was expected to play a key role for the Buckeyes entering this season after setting a Big Ten record with 1,606 receiving yards as a sophomore last year. Smith-Njigba caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns in last season’s Rose Bowl against Utah, which led many to believe that he could win the Biletnikoff Award this season as the nation’s top receiver.
Instead, Smith-Njigba pulled his hamstring in the season-opening win over Notre Dame and was never able to get back on track.
He suited up against Toledo on Sept. 17 and caught two passes for 33 yards and then once again on Oct. 22 against Iowa, when he snagged one ball for seven yards. In total, Smith-Njigba recorded just five catches for 43 yards this season.
“He has had such a major impact here in Columbus, on and off the field, in a relatively short period of time,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told reporters on Monday as he confirmed Smith-Njigba’s plans to turn pro.
Smith-Njigba is expected to be one of the first receivers off the board in the 2023 NFL draft, but his stock largely will hinge on his proving that he’s fully healthy.
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For more Ohio State coverage, go to Buckeyes Now.
