Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba explains College Football Playoff decision
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said he will prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft and not play in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Georgia.
"I want to be out there competing with my brothers more than anything," Smith-Njigba said to ESPN on Monday.
"The decision to turn pro was made after I was unable to come back on multiple occasions during the season and the doctors determined I would be unable to participate in the playoffs."
Smith-Njigba originally came into the 2022 college football season poised to break out as arguably the nation's premier wide receiver talent.
He led Ohio State with 1,606 receiving yards the previous season, even with future NFL first-round picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson on the roster, and established a college football all-time record in receiving production with 347 yards and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl.
But he sustained an injury to his hamstring in the Buckeyes' regular season opener against Notre Dame and appeared in two other games after the issue.
Ohio State qualified for the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed and earned a date against No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31.
NFL Draft analysts project Smith-Njigba as a virtual guarantee to be selected in the first-round, with many observers predicting he will be a top 10 selection.
"I'm going to have an even bigger impact in the NFL than when I played at OSU," he told ESPN.
"I'm a playmaker who helps my team win and nothing has changed. My game both physically and mentally has only improved. The NFL is going to get a better version of me."
(ESPN)
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