Ohio State will be without key weapon for College Football Playoff
The Ohio State Buckeyes backed into the College Football Playoff and will play Georgia in the Peach Bowl, but they’ll do so without a big-name weapon.
Despite not playing for the Big Ten Championship thanks to a 22-point loss at the hands of rival Michigan, the Ohio State Buckeyes still found their way into the 2022-23 College Football Playoff. They slotted in as the No. 4 seed and will now have the unwieldy task of heading to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and a date with the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
And one of the biggest weapons on the Ohio State offense won’t be making that trip — though he hasn’t been on the field much at all this season.
Star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, widely considered the best player at the position coming into this season, revealed that he will not play against Georgia and will now turn his attention to the 2023 NFL Draft.
Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not play in the Peach Bowl against Georgia due to his lingering hamstring injury. He played in just three games this season and will now officially shift his focus to the 2023 NFL Draft.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 5, 2022
Ohio State will be without Jaxon Smith-Njigba for College Football Playoff
After suffering an injury in the Buckeyes’ season-opener against Notre Dame, Smith-Njigba was limited to only three games this season as OSU finished 11-1 in the regular season.
In the absence of Smith-Njigba, the completely loaded Ohio State wide receiver corps stepped up and became stars in their own right, most notably with monster years from Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Given what the Buckeyes offense looked like with C.J. Stroud throwing to those guys even with JSN out, that’s something fans can feel confident in.
At the same time, though, there were some holding out hope that Smith-Njigba would return for the College Football Playoff and create a matchup nightmare for Georgia or any other team they would face. But it seems that the wide receiver is continuing to take caution with his draft stock and not risking injury, even with the possibility of a national championship on the line.
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