Ryan Day noncommittal on return of Ohio State football's Jaxon Smith-Njigba for CFP
Ohio State coach Ryan Day was noncommittal Sunday when asked about the potential return of star slot receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this month’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia.
Following the reveal of the rankings that set the four-team field, including the Buckeyes’ matchup with top-seeded Georgia in the Peach Bowl, Day remained mum on Smith-Njigba’s status.
“We’ll probably have more of an update in the next couple of days of exactly where that’s at,” Day said.
Smith-Njigba, who set school records for receptions and receiving yards as a sophomore last fall, has missed most of this season with a hamstring injury and last appeared in a win over Iowa on Oct. 22.
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The game against the Hawkeyes, following an idle week, was the second time in which he attempted to return from an injury first sustained in the season opener against Notre Dame.
Playing limited snaps over three games, he has caught only five passes for 43 yards, largely leaving quarterback C.J. Stroud without one of his favorite targets for the past few months.
"The whole thing’s unfortunate," Day said. "Certainly no one wants to play more than Jaxon, but we’ll have more in a few days."
Day said the question for Smith-Njigba is both whether he'll be healthy enough to return against Georgia and if he chooses to opt in.
Maada Smith-Njigba told The Dispatch last month that his son could return for a playoff game, though it’s unclear if that remains a potential timeline and if the junior has made progress in his recovery.
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In the Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan on Thanksgiving weekend, Smith-Njigba was with teammates on the sideline at Ohio Stadium, watching in street clothes.
Day has not offered much recent optimism about a return. He said weeks ago that he was only hoping, not expecting for Smith-Njigba to return to the lineup.
His status for the playoff will be one of the major storylines in the leadup to the semifinal round on Dec. 31 as the Buckeyes would stand to benefit from the return of one of their top offensive weapons.
In the matchup with Georgia, they will face one of the nation's stingiest defenses, one that has surrendered only 12.8 points per game, the second fewest out of all 131 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. During the regular season, the Bulldogs never allowed more than two touchdowns in a game.
Smith-Njigba was not the Buckeyes’ only offensive player who was banged up late in the season, a group that included running back TreVeyon Henderson who was hobbled by a foot injury.
Day said he expects to at least have "everyone else" for the semifinal matchup.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jaxon Smith-Njigba's College Football Playoff status still unknown
