Former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a Texas native, wanted to play for an in-state school in college. According to Smith-Njigba, Texas "came in way too late" during the recruitment process.
Appearing on "The Ryen Russillo Show" on Sept. 3, Smith-Njigba discussed how he ended up at Ohio State despite a love for the Texas football schools.
"The lack of recruiting from the Texas schools," Smith Njigba said. "I wouldn't say all Texas schools, but the majority of the ones I wanted to go to."
JSN ended up at Ohio State because Texas didn't recruit him pic.twitter.com/mEMijws4N9
— The Ryen Russillo Show (@TheRyenRussillo) September 3, 2026
Smith-Njigba continued: "Growing up, as a baby, I was an A&M fan. And then in middle school [or] high school I went to [the] Texas-OU game, the Cotton Bowl, each
and every year my dad would take me. I was kind of like, I don't know which side I'm going to play on, but I'm definetely going to play in this game. And then Ohio State comes in and swoops me up."
Smith-Njigba said he talked with both Oklahoma and Texas, but conversations never progressed toward a serious commitment.
"I definitely had my mind made up on those two, and then out of nowhere, Brian Hartline comes, Mark Pantoni and Coach [Ryan] Day come, and they're like 'We want you here. You need to be here.' And after that, I just turned my back on [Texas and Oklahoma]."
Smith-Njigba was a five-star recruit and the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Smith-Njigba also had offers from TCU, Notre Dame, Cal, Arizona State, Colorado and more.
After his Buckeyes career, Smith-Njigba was selected 20th in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He is coming off a Super Bowl victory and NFL Offensive Player of the Year award from the 2025-26 season.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jaxon Smith-Njigba says Texas recruited him “way too late"
