Ohio State football hoping but not expecting Jaxon Smith-Njigba can play again this season

COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State football must contemplate a postseason without receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The preseason All-American, who has played in only three games due to a hamstring injury suffered in the season opener, has not played since Oct. 22 against Iowa. He appeared to suffer some aggravation of the injury on the last of the 22 snaps he played that day.

Ohio State Coach Ryan Day has provided no updates on Smith-Njigbas status since that week. On his Thursday radio show on 97.1 The Fan, he offered some insight into how OSU characterizes Smith-Njigbas potential return.

I wouldn’t say expecting, Id probably say more hoping, Day said. But no update at this point.

Smith-Nijgbas father told the Columbus Dispatch last month that next weeks game against Michigan was the best-case scenario for his sons return.

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Smith-Njigba was expected to be a centerpiece of the OSU offense after setting a Big Ten Conference record with 1,606 receiving yards in 2021. Instead he suffered the hamstring injury in the first half of the season-opening win over Notre Dame. They aggravated it two games later against Toledo, did not play again until the Iowa win and has not played since. He has not appeared on the travel roster for OSU’s recent road trips.

In his absence, Marvin Harrison Jr. is having an All-America caliber season, Emeka Egbuka took over as the starting slot receiver and Julian Fleming emerged as a big-play threat.

What else we learned Thursday:

Xavier Johnson took more snaps at running back this week, but still worked out extensively at receiver.

No final decision has been made regarding players who could return in 2023 due to the extra year of Eligibility awarded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Day said there is no current concern about the Scholarship numbers with signing day coming in December.

Oho State practiced in the snow Wednesday and it was coming down sideways. Day said last week the team practiced outdoors some in the spring to prepare for weather this time of year. It snowed fairly heavily at one point during last weeks win over Indiana. Our guys seem to be becoming immune to it.

Wednesday practices begin with a scrimmage session pitting the No. 3 offense against the No. 3 defence. To add some juice due to the cold and snow, the offense and defense split into separate sidelines and quarterback CJ Stroud called plays for the offense and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg called the defense.

Strouds Tuesday practice was as good as Ive seen him have here.

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