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Jaxon Smith-Njigba had one of the most prolific seasons of any wide receiver in college football history in 2021, quickly earning recognition as one of the nation’s best. While Smith-Njigba missed most of his final collegiate season with an injury, he remains one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2023 NFL draft. 

Here’s more on Smith-Njigba’s college career.

The vitals on Jaxon Smith-Njigba

School: Ohio State
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6-1
Weight: 200 pounds
Years active: 2020-2022

Here are Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s career stats in college.

YEAR
GAMES
REc
Rec Yds
YPC
Rec TD

2020
7
10
49
4.9
1

2021
13
95
1,606
16.9
9

2022
3
5
43
8.6
0

Career
23
110
1,698
15.4
10

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a native of Rockwall, Texas, signed with Ohio State over a litany of offers that included Notre Dame, Texas A&M and more, per 247Sports.

pic.twitter.com/41pLO2ihG1

— Buckeye Highlights (@OSUBuckiHighlit) November 8, 2021

What kind of prospect was Jaxon Smith-Njigba in high school?

Smith-Njigba was a five-star wide receiver at Rockwall High School in Rockwall, Texas. He was a top-five wide receiver in the country, depending on the recruiting service, and a top-five player in Texas in the class of 2020. 

Smith-Njigba finished his high school career with 5,346 career receiving yards and 82 touchdowns in 44 career games. After his senior season, he was named the Texas 6A State Player of the Year and played in the Army All-American game.

What was Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s record in college?

Smith-Njigba and Ohio State finished a combined 18-3 during his first two seasons, advancing to the 2020 College Football Playoff title game and winning the 2021 Rose Bowl. During Smith-Njigba’s final season, he only played in parts of just three games thanks to a lingering hamstring injury. Ohio State finished 11-2 with a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance during that season. 

Records set by Smith-Njigba

Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Smith-Njigba in college:

1st in Big Ten single-season receiving yards (2021)
5th in Big Ten single-season receptions (2021)
1st in Rose Bowl receiving yards (2021)
1st in Rose Bowl receptions (2021)
1st in Rose Bowl receiving touchdowns (2021)
1st in all-time bowl game receiving yards (2021)
1st in Ohio State single-game receiving yards (2021)
2nd in Big Ten single-game receiving yards (2021)
5th in Division I single-game receiving yards (2021)
1st in Ohio State single-game receptions yards (2021)

CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in last year’s Rose bowl:

Stroud: 37/46, 573 YDS, 6 TD, 1 INT
Smith-Njigba: 15 REC, 347 YDS, 3 TD

OSU/ND can’t get here fast enough. pic.twitter.com/nMz7PteOVM

— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) August 27, 2022

Which awards did Jaxon Smith-Njigba win in college?

Here are the awards and honors Smith-Njigba won in college:

Rose Bowl game MVP (2021)
Third-team All-American by AP (2021)

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as a college football, FCS football, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the College Football Playoff and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.

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