Jaxon Smith-Njigba College Stats: Seahawks Star WR Broke 20-Year-Old Record at Ohio State
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seattle Seahawks' star wide receiver, has been one of the major reasons for the team's turnaround from missing the playoffs last season to vaulting all the way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a record of 14-3, and reaching Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots.
The third-year wideout from Ohio State is coming off his second full season, appearing in all 17 games and with the monster number to prove it.
But none of this should be all that surprising for college football fans.
Smith-Njigba was an accomplished wideout during his college playing days for the Buckeyes, breaking multiple records including an impressive, longstanding 20-year-old Big Ten conference record.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's Historic Ohio State Career: The Records He Shattered
At still just 23 years old, Smith-Njigba reached true NFL stardom in Seattle this season with 119 receptions — good for fourth in the league — to pair with 1,793 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns, averaging a whopping 15.1 yards per catch.
So it's less than shocking to learn that his three years spent at Ohio State from 2020 to 2022 involved some significant record-breaking.
In 2021, his sophomore season, Smith-Njigba officially busted out as a major name to watch, breaking an Ohio State and Big Ten record with 1,606 total receiving yards.
That record was previously held by Wisconsin's Lee Evans — who went on to play for the Buffalo Bills — all the way back in 2001 with 1,545 receiving yards as a member of the Badgers.
Later on, in 2022, Smith-Njigba set the all-time FBS bowl game record with a patently ridiculous stat line of 347 receiving yards to go along with a Rose Bowl-record 15 receptions — which also broke the Ohio State single-game record for a second time — and three touchdowns.
Earlier in that same season, he had already recorded a 15 reception game against Nebraska in another blistering performance that felt more like a quarterback's total yardage for a game rather than a wide receiver's stat line, with 240 yards.
So essentially, Smith-Njigba shares that Ohio State single-game receptions record with himself.
Star receiver David Boston had previously held the school record with 14 catches against Penn State in 1997.
What might be craziest of all here is that "JSN" did all of this while also sharing the same field with two wideout studs in their own right — Garrett Wilson (No. 10 overall to the Jets in 2022) and Chris Olave (No. 11 overall to the Saints in 2022).
So How Did the Seahawks Land Jaxon Smith-Njigba In the 2023 NFL Draft?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just beat new #Jaguars CB Greg Newsome on his very first snap with his new team — a 61-yard TD.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 12, 2025
JSN is entering superstardom territory. pic.twitter.com/Bf7KJMPUr7
Smith-Njigba was drafted 20th overall by the Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft which, at a glance, would likely raise some eyebrows given what we all know now.
But the main reason for slipping out of the top 10 was due to Smith-Njigba playing just three games in his final season at Ohio State, thanks to a lingering hamstring injury.
He's also listed at 6-feet tall, which is considered undersized for a pro receiver.
But if you watch the tape, particularly from this past season, Smith-Njigba's height hardly matters. All this guy does is consistently find a way to get open despite being the focal point of any given NFL defense.
And the third-year receiver is still very much in the business of breaking records.
This past season, Smith-Njigba broke an NFL record in becoming the first player in league history to record at least 75 receiving yards in 10 straight games to start a season.
As mentioned, with Smith-Njigba still just 23 years of age, it's a pretty scary thought as to what we'll see over the better part of the next decade from the talented wide receiver.
For now, the hope is that talking heads in sports media will finally be able to pronounce his name correctly.
Mike and the Mad Dog attempt to pronounce the name "Jaxon Smith-Njigba"... let's see who did it worse. ???? pic.twitter.com/UhunI4Ay46
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) October 31, 2025
It appears to be quite the battle, but we'll get there.