Jaxon Smith-Njigba Explains How Ohio State Prepared Him for Super Bowl Stage

If it weren’t for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seattle Seahawks would not be playing the Super Bowl.

Luckily, the Seahawks drafted the superstar wide receiver out of Ohio State with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Drafted into the league at just 21, Smith-Njigba was an underrated star for his first few years in the NFL. Now, he’s one of the sport’s most popular players and a significant contributor to the NFC winning Seahawks.

But prior to the Super Bowl, Smith-Njigba credited his abilities to his college football career at Ohio State in an interview with the BIGPLAY Sports Network at the Super Bowl’s opening night.

“Growing up as a young man, finding myself in those college days on and off the field and being surrounded by special people that I still call friends to this day is awesome,” Smith-Njigba said. “Competing at Ohio State and development at Ohio State is second to none.

I asked Jaxon Smith-Njigba about how his Ohio State career prepared him to play in the Super Bowl.

“Competing at Ohio State and development at Ohio State is second to none.”

He also gave a pitch to NFL teams to draft Carnell Tate 👀⬇️ @BIGPLAY pic.twitter.com/A0R9owLQOF
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) February 3, 2026

Smith-Njigba was a consistent contributor as a freshman to the Buckeyes, but exploded onto the college football landscape in his sophomore year. That season, Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for over 1,600 yards and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately, he only played three games in his final season with the Buckeyes due to a severe, lingering hamstring injury.

Off the field, Smith-Njigba was present in the Columbus community. On the field, he gave Ohio State fans everywhere a very memorable season.

During his time with the Buckeyes, it always felt as if Smith-Njigba was a bit overshadowed by his teammates. His freshman year, Ohio State was blessed with both Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. During his standout sophomore year, a young Marvin Harrison Jr. stole headlines – and Olave was still around.

Even in his injury-plagued junior season, the Buckeyes welcomed Harrison Jr. in a full capacity with Emeka Egbuka – all of these wide receivers turned out to be first-round draft picks, also.

But Smith-Njigba has separated himself from the bunch in the NFL.

In 2025, former Buckeyes receiver Parris Campbell won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2026, Smith-Njigba has an opportunity to make it consecutive seasons with Buckeyes wide receivers winning the Super Bowl.

When the Seahawks parted ways with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, some might’ve wondered why they were sabotaging Sam Darnold, the reclamation quarterback they just paid handsomely. Well, the answer is apparent now. They weren’t. The Seahawks paved the way for Smith-Njigba’s breakout season in the NFL.

Without him, they would have never gotten this far.

And one of the NFL’s brightest stars is praising his college football program six days before the biggest game of his life.