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Jaxon Smith-Njigba gives his picks for Ohio State’s Mt. Rushmore of WRs

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Jaxon Smith-Njigba cemented his place in Ohio State lore with a record-breaking 2021 season for the Buckeyes. Though injuries held Smith-Njigba out for the majority of 2022, he leaves the program as a top-25 contributor on the program’s all-time receiving yardage list.

While at the NFL Combine, Smith-Njigba was asked to provide his Mt. Rushmore list of Buckeye receivers. Considering the recent run of elite prospects in Columbus, it is no surprise Smith-Njigba went with a number of teammates on his list.

He also included Ohio State’s star assistant coach:

“First I’m going Garrett Wilson, I’m going Chris Olave, I’m going Marvin Harrison Jr.,” Smith-Njigba rattled off. “I could put a lot of guys right here in this last spot, let’s just put Brian Hartline, he’s done a lot for the Buckeyes.”

None of those selections are terribly surprising except for maybe Hartline who ranks 26th on Ohio State’s all-time list with just over 1,400 yards receiving. However, there’s no denying Hartline’s work as a coach has helped Ohio State’s wide receivers now and for the future in a way few other players or coaches could.

Notable Omissions

While Smith-Njigba’s list is his own and certainly has some merit, it’s hard to mention all-time Buckeye receivers without bringing up David Boston. Boston is still the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards (2,855) and is second in receiving touchdowns (34).

Other players that would be worth consideration are Michael Jenkins and Cris Carter. Jenkins is 3rd all-time for the Buckeyes with 2,746 receiving yards and was the team’s leading receiver for the 2002 national championship squad. Carter is 4th all-time for the program in yards (2,725) and touchdowns (27) and went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer.

Who would you have on your Mt. Rushmore list of all-time Buckeye receivers?

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.