Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already living the kind of career that turns recruiting what-ifs into painful trivia for fan bases. Entering his fourth NFL season, the reigning Super Bowl champion and first-team All-Pro receiver has become one of the league’s top wideouts, but his path to Ohio State almost took a very different turn.
Before he became a first-round NFL Draft pick, Smith-Njigba was a Texas kid with a strong connection to Texas A&M. The Rockwall native reportedly grew up as a big Aggies fan, and that alone might have been enough to send College Station into a spiral of “what if” regret. But Smith-Njigba’s own recollection on BarStool Sports host Ryan Rusillo’s show adds a different layer to the story.
He said that while he did follow Texas A&M early on, a trip to the Red River Rivalry in middle school changed his perspective. After seeing that game, he wanted to play for Texas or Oklahoma.
That’s where the real recruiting story opens up. Texas, then coached by Tom Herman, “came in way too late,” according to Smith-Njigba, and Ohio State was the program that ultimately sealed the deal. The Buckeyes got him, and the rest is history.
Smith-Njigba’s college resume backs up just how much Texas and Texas A&M missed out. In 2021, he caught 96 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns, then went on to cement his first-round status before launching into the NFL as one of the sport’s most dangerous young receivers.
So while Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies may not deserve all the blame for this one, the outcome still stings for Texas A&M, Texas, and even Oklahoma. Ohio State got there at the right time - and once again proved why it’s Ohio State when it comes to producing elite wide receivers.
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