Tag: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

WATCH: True freshman Kyle McCord connect with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the score

Ohio State freshman Kyle McCord connects with Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a fade route in the corner of the endzone for one-handed grab.

In a game where there is no tackling, the offenses seem to be a little more comfortable. And in a quarterback competition trying to replace one of the best ever at Ohio State in Justin Fields, all three QBs have looked sharp.

So far C.J. Stroud has thrown two touchdowns and now true freshman Kyle McCord has joined the party. McCord led the offense down the field efficiently and then hit sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a nice little fade route in the back corner of the endzone.

Check out the excellent touch from McCord and outstanding concentration from Smith-Njigba for the score. Plays are being made all over the field from the pass-catches of Ohio State. I’d hate to be a defensive coordinator trying to gameplan how to slow down OSU’s passing game this fall.

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Ohio State Football wants you to vote on the top plays of 2020

Head over to the Ohio State Football Twitter account and let your voice be heard. Vote on the top plays from the 2020 season.

In a season that was on the verge of not happening, the Ohio State football team made the most out of a tough situation. Players and parents had to fight to even get a season, but when the Buckeyes finally were able to suit up, they gave us some memorable moments.

Now the Ohio State Football Twitter account wants you to vote on your favorite plays of the year. What’s your favorite moment from the 2020 season? Jaxon Smith Njigba’s unbelievable catch in the opener against Nebraska? Trey Sermon’s record-breaking run in the Big Ten Championship? Chris Olave’s touchdown receptions against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl?

Now is the time to have your voice heard. Head on over to the Ohio State Football account on Twitter to cast your vote. We’re already in the second round, so give your “likes” and “retweets” to share which play you feel is the best of the year.

There are many great plays to chose from. And while it may be hard to vote for one over the other, it is guaranteed to bring back some favorable memories. So take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the highlight reels of 2020.

Ten plays showing off Justin Fields’ arm strength

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Sugar Bowl key matchup: Ohio State receivers versus Clemson safeties Nolan Turner and Lannden Zanders

We examine the Ohio State versus Clemson Sugar Bowl key matchups with the Buckeyes wide receivers and Clemson safety Nolan Turner.

As we continue to preview the Sugar Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson, we now focus on the passing game for the Buckeyes.

We already covered Chris Olave versus Derion Kendrick so the big-play OSU threat won’t be mentioned as much as Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Clemson safety Nolan Turner forced to sit the first half due to a targeting call against Notre Dame, Lannden Zanders, and maybe Joseph Charleston will have to rotate at both safety spots until Turner returns in the second half. This matchup is where Ohio State could thrive early in the Sugar Bowl.

Nolan specifically has been playing really good football and has helped himself from probably being an undrafted free agent to a late-round selection. Nolan thrives if he can keep plays in front of him and diagnose the play. Where he struggles is when he’s forced to play man coverage, as his ability to stay on the hip of the receiver still needs some work.

Ohio State can take advantage by forcing the safeties to play man coverage or forcing Clemson to choose which receiver in the zone to play. Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Julian Fleming have the speed to get into the secondary and force these decisions. Justin Fields has to be on the same page as the receivers and see which way Turner shades.

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Ohio State holds in ESPN Power Rankings ahead of Big Ten Championship
USA TODAY Sports

Route combinations will be huge for Ohio State if the offense wants to push the ball downfield in a single shot. Nolan will also at times react to play-action early which would allow for a crossing receiver through his zone. Getting man coverage might be hard to come by, but with the right scheme and playcalling, the Buckeyes could make some hay with Nolan being out, then exploit his blind spots in development when he is in.

Ohio State’s bowl history over the past 20 years

Ohio State Football Profile Card: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Get to know Ohio State football freshman wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with his player profile card.

Name: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Number: 11

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-0

Weight: 196 pounds

Hometown: Rockwall, Texas

High School: Rockwall High School

2019 Stats: Senior Year at Rockwall High School: 13 games, 104 receptions, 2094 yards, 35 touchdowns

Overview

Jaxon Smith-Njigba comes in as one of the highly touted wide receivers in the Buckeye class of 2020. It didn’t take long to see why in his debut against Nebraska making a mind-bending catch in the back of the endzone, contorting his body in ways most humans cannot.

Smith-Njigba comes to Ohio State ranked as the fifth-best receiver in the class of 2020 and 29th ranked player overall according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. His numbers during his time at Rockwall High School in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area were staggering. In 44 career games, he compiled 5,346 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns while competing in 6A, the largest classification in Texas high school football. Smith-Njigba was named the 6A state player of the year in his senior season.

Highlights

Watch Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s unreal catch against Nebraska as well as some highlight reels from his days at Rockwall High School.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba gets black stripe removed

We have another black stripe alert. Highly touted wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njgiba had his removed at practice on Monday.

Now that Ohio State is gearing up for the renewed season, we can start to look at some of the new guys losing their black stripes and “officially” becoming a part of the program. Not official in the sense of arriving on campus and practicing, but by doing what they need to in order to gain the respect of the coaches and teammates.

It’s a right of passage in Columbus. Those silver helmets have black stripes fixed over the scarlet stripe down the middle of their lids until such time they are told they are part of the program. Each then gets a little ceremony, has the black striped removed, and gives a little speech to the team.

And on that note, highly-rated wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had his black-stripe removed apparently on Monday. Watch the below as he is introduced and has some words for the team.

Well done Jaxon. Here’s to watching your game grow and develop in Columbus going forward.

Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba ready to do “whatever it takes to win”

The Buckeyes have an elite class of wide receivers inbound, and one recruit, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is ready to do whatever it takes to win.

The Buckeyes have an elite class of wide receivers joining the team in 2020, and one five-star recruit, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Smith-Njigba is just one of several skilled receivers. Players like Julian Fleming and Gee Scott Jr. will also be ready to compete for their rightful spot on the team.

However, aside from those three, the team will still have weapons like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. This team’s threats on the edge will be the best in the nation, and at least one recruit will be putting the team first.

Letterman Row’s Spencer Holbrook was able to sit down with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and ask him about the upcoming season and his potential role in the Buckeyes’ offense.

“You just got to look at the bigger picture. If you want to win, you’ll do whatever it takes to win. We got threats all across the field, so coming in, of course you want to see 15 balls a game. But realistically, it’s not going to happen at any level at any school. That’s really not in my mind. However many balls I have, I’ve just got to make the opportunity and take advantage of that,” Smith-Njigba said.

Smith-Njigba will likely be the team’s fourth-string receiver.

Although the fifth-best receiver in the Class of 2020, he’ll be battling with the likes of Fleming, the best receiver in the class, and Garrett Wilson, another five-star recruit and the second-best receiver in the Class of 2019.

It will be a tough battle out wide in Columbus. However, as long as players like Smith-Njigba, Wilson, and Fleming all take their respective roles as an opportunity to grow, this team will be just fine.

Ohio State football has four five-star commits in final 247Sports rankings

The final 247Sports recruiting rankings are out and Ohio State will finish with four 5-star recruits when it’s all said and done.

We always knew Ohio State had some top-end talent in its 2020 recruiting class, and now the star-ratings reflect that — at least according to the 247Sports ratings that were just finalized. There are just 32 five-star athletes meaning they are the very top of the top. And in Ohio State’s case, it has four players out of those 32.

The five-stars include the overall No. 4 recruit, wide receiver Julian Fleming, No. 8, offensive tackle Paris Johnson, Jr., Jr, No. 15, another receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and No. 29, quarterback C.J. Stroud. Both Smith-Njigba and Stroud are newly minted five-star athletes giving OSU a bit of a boost in the quality at the top according to the rankings.

With the change and update, only Clemson has more five-star players than OSU with five. Alabama also has four.

The overall class remains the No. 5 rated class in the composite rankings for 2020, and with Ohio State having already inked almost all of its class during the early signing period, it will not be moving up at all. If anything, it could slide a position or two.

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Either way, the talent in this class is a very, very good one — especially at the top end.

 

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Ohio State football 2020 receiving corps will is going to be ridiculously good

The Ohio State Buckeyes will have a reenergized roster this coming season, led by what could easily be the nation’s best receiving corps.

The Ohio State football team will lose critical pieces of their team to the 2020 NFL Draft. Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins and Jeff Okudah will all be leaving after their junior season.

However, Ohio State is losing more than just those three. Seniors like K.J. Hill, the university’s all-time receptions leader, and Binjimen Victor will be leaving, potentially continuing their career in the NFL.

The absence of those two will deplete the team’s receiving corps.

Justin Fields shouldn’t worry though.

He’ll be getting all the help he needs in the form of an upgraded Garrett Wilson, experienced Chris Olave, and extremely talented inbound receiving class.

Wilson was the No. 2 receiver in the Class of 2019. Julian Fleming is the No. 1 receiver in the Class of 2020. Aside from Fleming, Ohio State is bringing in the fifth-best and tenth-best receivers in the class according to 247Sports.

The key to unlocking Wilson, Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is Chris Olave. Olave accounted for 12 touchdowns and 840 yards last season. He’ll get a lot of attention from opposing defenses in 2020.

While he may remember the 2019 season for the heartbreak in the College Football Playoff semifinal Fiesta Bowl, there’s no denying that he’ll be the unanimous leader of the nation’s most talent receiving corp in 2020.

Those five receivers will take this offense to a new level, hopefully, one we’ve yet to see at the collegiate level in a long, long time.

 

Is Ohio State football becoming wide-receiver U?

Ohio State has been known for being a run-heavy team throughout its history, but is it now becoming Wide Receiver U?

It’s been well documented that Ohio State has been laying claim as “DBU” for churning out NFL defensive backs throughout history. The Bucks may start claiming the title of “Wide Receiver U” before too long.

Ohio State was a little late to the passing game as Buckeye Legend Woody Hayes famously said: “There are only three things can happen on a pass, and two of them are bad.” But Ohio State would start to evolve with names like Chris Carter, Terry Glenn, and David Boston in the 80’s and 90’s.

However, you might be surprised to know that since the 2000 NFL draft, Ohio State has had more receivers drafted than any other college program. It’ll no doubt add to that total with guys like KJ Hill and Austin Mack this coming April.

It seems now, Columbus is the place to be for highly-touted receivers to land. The 2020 recruiting class lays claim to the No. 1, No. 5, No. 12, and No. 15 ranked receivers in the nation (Julian Flemming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott, Jr., and Mookie Cooper). Add this class to what was a strong 2019 receiving class led by the No. 2 nationally-ranked receiver, Garrett Wilson, and there is something special in the making.

Speaking of Garrett Wilson, he and fellow Buckeye Wideout, Chris Olave just made the Pro Football Focus list of top 25 receivers returning to college football in 2020.  Wilson comes in at No. 24 and Olave makes the ranking at No. 10.

Brian Hartline is doing work not only bringing in top-level talent, but developing that talent as well. And we’re excited to see what this explosive group can do going forward.

POLL: Super 25 High School Football Top Star, Week 14

Which performance was the best this past week from a player on a Super 25 ranked team? Vote for the Super 25 Top Star!

Here are the candidates for this week’s Super 25 Top Star. All nominees play on a team ranked in the top 25 or from a regionally ranked team. Vote now in the poll below.

SUPER 25: TOP 25 | REGIONAL | How the Super 25 Fared

NOTE: Players can only win once per season | Voting ends Friday at 2 p.m. ET

Mobile users click here to vote >>

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*Weekly winners will receive a t-shirt