Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a wide receiver from Rockwall, Texas, is now officially a Buckeye.
Smith-Njigba sent in his signed Letter of Intent to join Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class.
He’s currently ranked as the No. 33 overall player in the nation, just five spots away from 5-star status. He has also turned in some of the most mind-blowing performances of the 2019 season as he has rocketed up those recruiting ranking lists.
Here he is putting up 325 yards and four touchdowns against one of the top big-school teams in his part of Texas.
And this is his six-touchdown performance in an upset win against a heavily-favored team in the Texas big-school state playoffs.
Here’s a look at what Jaxon Smith-Njigba brings to Ohio State.
Ranking: He is a 4-star prospect, considered the No. 5 wide receiver and 5th-best player in the state of Texas this year.
Other Offers: He picked the Buckeyes over offers from schools like Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame. He committed to the Buckeyes so early in the recruiting cycle, and when his recruiting rankings were (relatively) low, that schools like Texas never got around to offering him.
Positional Projection: Smith-Njigba will obviously be a wide receiver, and with a 6-foot-1, 188 lb frame may fit in as a Z receiver. That’s the same position manned by Austin Mack and Chris Olave this season.
Commitment: He committed to the Buckeyes more than a year ago, in November 2018.
Enrolling: Smith-Njigba will enroll at Ohio State in January and then go through 2020 spring practice.
Projected Impact: Going through spring practice will obviously give him a head start on his career. Then it’s just a matter of how quickly he can get up to speed in a crowded wide receiver room.
The Buckeyes have demonstrated recently that talented true freshmen can earn their way into the rotation.
Smith-Njigba has a chance to do that, and almost certainly to find his way onto the two-deep in 2021.
You can watch Smith-Njigba’s junior season highlight reel below.
