Ohio State hasn’t set a timetable for Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s return, but Ryan Day said Smith-Njigba “still has a mindset of day-to-day” and wants to return as soon as possible.
The first four games of Ohio State’s 2022 season haven’t gone the way anyone thought they would for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“I know he's frustrated. But we're not as far away as we think. And if he just has the mindset of showing up every day and getting as much treatment as he can, take care of his body, this will be behind us soon, and we still got a lot of football to play,” Day said Tuesday. “I talked with him before the game, asked him if he’s OK and how soon he might come back. He thinks he may rest it potentially another week. He just wants to be careful with it,” Herbstreit said. “He felt he came back a little bit too soon last week, maybe played a few too many plays and he felt it. That’s why he’s pulling himself back.”“I don't think we want to move forward until we all feel really good about everything. But again, Jaxon still has a mindset of day-to-day,” Day said.
In hindsight, there’s certainly reason to question whether Ohio State took an unnecessary risk by playing Smith-Njigba against Toledo, especially if he ends up missing multiple conference games. Presumably, Smith-Njigba and the medical staff will want to be extra cautious before he returns to action again to try to ensure he doesn’t suffer another setback in his recovery.“You got to just trust in what you see in your evaluations and then go from there,” Day said.