ROCKWALL, Texas – If it felt like the commitment of Jaxon Smith-Njigba came out of nowhere last November, you would be right, it kind of did. The talented receiver out of the Dallas suburbs didn't have any natural tie-ins to the Ohio State program that would predicate such a quick commitment.
No, this one just came down to what recruiting really is all about.
Relationships.
Sure, Ohio State has won back-to-back Big Ten crowns, wins just about as many games as anyone nationally and just put two receivers into the NFL in the most recent draft.
But it is more than that when it comes down to making a decision of where to spend the next three to five years of your life for a high school star.
And Ohio State checked off all of the boxes.
"(It was) because coach (Brian) Hartline, coach (Keenan Bailey), coach (Ryan) Day," Smith-Njigba said. "They're all family. They tell me how much I meant to their program and how much they wanted me. I wouldn't say it was a hard decision. It was easy, and I'm just thankful to be a Buckeye."
It is more than just a football thing when it comes down to the relationships. Yes, the football aspect is important for the 6-foot-2 wide four-star wide receiver. The ultimate goal is to get to the NFL and continue the football-playing career. But beyond that, there is so much more that is also important.
"I have a great relationship with them," Smith-Njigba said. "I talk to them almost every day. They care about me on and off the field, see how I'm doing, see how my family's doing. It's just good to have coaches like that, just to hit you up about good things, bad things, and just talk. So, I have a great relationship with them."
With such an early commitment, that leaves a lot of time for other schools to try and get involved and see just how firmly committed a player is, even with an early signing period. The Buckeyes will have to hold on to Smith-Njigba's pledge for 13 months. Have schools continued to push and just how locked in is the talented wideout?
"It's been calming down a little bit, but I think Alabama's going to be rolling through here in a couple of days, OU… But I'm set in stone with Ohio State," Smith-Njigba said.
The Buckeyes could be on the verge of an epic haul of wide receivers in this class. Smith-Njigba and Gee Scott are already committed, there is a lot of positive news about Julian Fleming, things are looking good on guys like Marcus Rosemy, Lavon Bunkley-Shelton and others… is that a good thing to be part of such a decorated class or is it the opposite knowing that the competition will be stiff, right from the word go within your own recruiting class?
"A lot of people would think it's bad on me, but I think it's awesome coming in with great talents like Gee Scott and a couple of others," Smith-Njigba said. "Hopefully we get Julian Fleming. He's an amazing athlete, great wide receiver, and an awesome guy. It's going to be awesome to come in with all these guys and compete and win with those guys. So, it's awesome."
Couple that with knowing who your quarterback of the future may be with the pledge in-hand with Jack Miller in the class of 2020 as well and even knowing who is on board in 2021 with Kyle McCord. Smith-Njigba already has been getting familiar with Miller and the two have bonded quickly.
"It's awesome just building a relationship with him," Smith-Njigba said. "You can never be too close. It's a guy I'm going to see every day that's going to be throwing me the ball, so it's awesome to build a relationship with him early."
