Ohio State will be without its top wide receiver as it opens its Big Ten schedule.
The Buckeyes listed wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba as out for Saturday’s prime-time clash against Wisconsin.
Regarded as one of the top wide receivers in the nation, Smith-Njigba has dealt with injuries since he was hurt in Week 1 against Notre Dame. The junior wideout has caught only four passes for 36 yards without a touchdown in two games so far this season.
Last year, despite playing alongside two 2022 first-round NFL selections, Smith-Njigba set the Ohio State single-season record with 1,606 receiving yards and 95 receptions. Nine of his receptions went for touchdowns.
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Here’s the latest on Smith-Njigba’s injury.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba injury update
In the first quarter of the 2022 season, Smith-Njigba had to leave the clash with Notre Dame with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss most of the game and the team’s second game against Arkansas State. Smith-Njigba returned in Week 3 to face Toledo.
There is no official word as to whether the hamstring injury remains the reason for Smith-Njigba’s absence, but he played in only 23 snaps against Toledo, per PFF, his first game back from the hamstring injury.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, coach Ryan Day had said on Thursday he hoped Smith-Njigba would be able to play on Saturday.
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“We’ll kind of keep taking it day by day and see how [Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming] do,” Day said, per the Dispatch, “but so far, so good.”
Ohio State wide receiver depth chart
While not having Smith-Njigba will be a major absence for the Buckeyes, their offense has had no problems humming along without him this season.
Ohio State is averaging the seventh-most passing yards per game among FBS teams at 358.3 yards per game.
The leading target for quarterback C.J. Stroud had been Emeka Egbuka, who has caught 20 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Marvin Harrison Jr. has been one of the team’s biggest threats out wide as he has averaged 19 yards per reception (342 yards on 18 catches) with a team-leading five touchdowns.
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Jayden Ballard (six catches for 127 yards and a touchdown) and Xavier Johnson (five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown) have also helped provide depth to the team.
Fleming, who missed the team’s first two games of the season with an injury, was not listed on the injury report for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin. He has caught three passes — two touchdowns — for 23 yards this season. He was the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the country back in 2020, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, and was the No. 3 overall prospect.
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