Ohio State’s NFL pipeline put on another show in Week 2, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the way and a few more Buckeyes making noise across the league.
Smith-Njigba is wasting no time backing up his 2025 Offensive Player of the Year season. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks needed until the second half to get a touchdown from anyone other than JSN, and that alone tells the story of how hot he’s been to start 2026. He finished Sunday with nine catches, 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Through two games, Smith-Njigba has 17 receptions for 277 yards and four scores for Seattle, which is looking every bit like the returning Super Bowl champions from last season.
Chris Olave was right there with him. The Saints receiver has settled into a strong rhythm in New Orleans, and his connection with new quarterback Tyler Shough kept rolling on Sunday. The two Buckeyes now sit first and second in the league in receiving production, with nearly 40 yards separating them from third-place Dalton Kincaid of Buffalo.
TreVeyon Henderson also had a moment for New England. In his first game of the season, the running back broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run that ended up being the difference early in the game.
Ohio State keeps showing the same thing week after week: the Buckeyes keep sending elite players into the NFL, and those guys keep showing up on Sundays. JSN may be in position for another Offensive Player of the Year run, but he’ll have to hold off his former teammate, Olave, to get there.
In Other News...
Ohio States Playoff Picture Could Shift Fast With These Week 4 Games
A busy Week 4 could shake up the College Football Playoff conversation quickly, and Ohio State is watching the ripple effects as much as anyone. The schedule is dotted with games involving the kinds of teams that tend to populate the bracket discussion by November, from Tennessee and Texas to Ole Miss, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Texas A&M and LSU, and each result carries some weight in how the national picture starts to settle.
For the Buckeyes, the value is not just in what happens on their own path, but in how these other contenders are judged when the first real sorting begins. A win here or a stumble there can alter the margin for error, change how victories are viewed down the line and nudge one team up while pushing another into a tougher spot, which is why this stretch feels a little bigger than a normal September slate. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Next Wave Is Starting To Show Up Early
Ohio State has reached the end of its nonconference slate and turns now to Big Ten play against Illinois, but the early part of the season has already offered a few encouraging signs about the next group coming up behind the veterans. Through the first three games, five players in particular have started to make themselves part of the conversation, showing up in different spots on both sides of the ball and giving the Buckeyes a better sense of their depth as the schedule tightens.
Jay Timmons, Jason Moore, JaKobi Jackson, Riley Pettijohn and Khary Wilder have each flashed in ways that line up with the preseason buzz around them, whether it has been through steady defensive work, quick development or snaps that suggest bigger roles could be ahead. The challenge now is whether that early promise can carry from September into the heart of conference season, where every mistake gets magnified and every new contributor has to prove the first impression was only the start. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Sayin Showed Ohio State Something Important In Key Passing Situations
Julian Sayin gave Ohio State a needed clean look at what he can do when the structure around him is working. In just over two quarters of the Buckeyes 59-3 win over Kent State, the quarterback completed 18 of 22 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns, continuing a stretch in which his accuracy and poise have stood out. Ryan Day saw a solid outing overall, with room still left for growth.
Sayin was especially sharp when the offense let him operate on time and in rhythm, finishing 16 of 19 when kept clean for 223 yards and two scores. The game also offered a useful reminder of how efficiently Ohio State can move the ball when its passing game is in sync, and it gave the staff another data point on the situations that bring out the best in him. [Read more 🡒]