Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Penn State Football

Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Expected to Play at Penn State Saturday

Photo by of Ohio State Athletics: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

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.”

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.

Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.

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.

Twitter: @bwalkerdadon

Get NSN in your Inbox

Enter your email address to get notifications of new posts by email.

More from Nittany Sports Now

Penn State Football

0s Penn State athletics hasn’t raised as much as it would have liked to on the Beaver Stadium revitalization project. Nope. It’s raised ....

Penn State Football

3s Nittany Sports Now almost made it an entire summer without publishing a story on the Pitt-Penn State rivalry. Well, maybe next year. Pitt...

Penn State Women's Basketball

0s In 1980, Joe Paterno hired the only head coach during his tenure as Penn State’s athletic director. Maureen Theresa Muth “Rene” Portland went...

All 105

1 This is one in a series of stories breaking down each player on Penn State football’s 2026 roster. Cooper Cousins could have loed...