Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Nijgba: Status for game vs. Northwestern

Update: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is out for Ohio State in today’s game vs. Northwestern.

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has barely seen the field this fall due to injury. The junior wideout sustained a hamstring injury in the season opener against Notre Dame and has only appeared in two games since. Coming off a breakout 2021 campaign, he entered the season with the highest betting odds to win the Heisman Trophy among any receiver in the country.

With OSU set to travel Northwestern at noon p.m. ET on Saturday, the question of if he’ll suit up once again looms. We’ll take a look at his status for this Big Ten showdown in Evanston, IL.

Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba injury updates

Both Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said earlier in the week that they expect Smith-Njigba to return at some point before the end of the regular season. These comments came following speculation that the skilled wideout would pack it up for the season and focus on the NFL Draft, similar to what Nick Bosa did in 2018. As for Saturday’s game against Northwestern, the Buckeyes will most likely not need his services to put down the last place team in the conference.

Ohio State enters the game as a heavy 38-point favorite courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 55.5.