On Tuesday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he expects to have starting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba available for Saturday’s game against Penn State, albeit possibly on a snap count.
“We’ll see as the week goes on,” Day told reporters in his weekly press conference. “When you come out of games like that, you got to keep evaluating and see how things go. We’ll keep figuring stuff out, and by the end of the week, we’ll have a better idea.”
Ryan Day said Ohio State is planning to have Jaxon Smith-Njigba available at Penn State after he was limited to 22 snaps in his return from a hamstring injury last Saturday.
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) October 25, 2022
On Tuesday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he expects to have starting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba available for Saturday’s game against Penn State, albeit possibly on a snap count.
“We’ll see as the week goes on,” Day told reporters in his weekly press conference. “When you come out of games like that, you got to keep evaluating and see how things go. We’ll keep figuring stuff out, and by the end of the week, we’ll have a better idea.”
Smith-Njigba, who was dealing with a hamstring injury, limped off in the third quarter of last Saturday’s game against Iowa. In 22 snaps, he caught one pass for seven yards. Smith-Njigha previously hadn’t played due since Ohio State’s Week 3 game against Toledo.
In three games this year, the 6-foot-0, 197-pound junior out of Rockwall, Texas, had recorded five receptions for 43 yards. Smith-Njagba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and that was with playing alongside Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who were first-round picks in last April’s draft. Smith-Njigba was a third-team All-American and third-team All-Big Ten selection for his efforts last season.
He was the offensive MVP of the 2022 Rose Bowl, catching 15 passes for an FBS record of 347 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith-Njigba projects to be the first wideout off the board in next April’s draft, and his presence will be welcome to Ohio State, being on the other side of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. The Buckeyes’ receivers will be a big challenge for Penn State’s defensive backs, such as Joey Porter Jr., Kalen King and Jaylen Reed.
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