:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71229587/1362288347.0.jpg "Jaxon Smith-Njigba Heisman Trophy odds: Latest projections, stats, for Ohio State wide receiver, more")
The 2022 college football season is quickly approaching and we have preseason Heisman Trophy odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Today we'll look at Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has a strong chance at being the nation's top receiver this season.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Smith-Njigba enters the season with the sixth-highest odds to win the award at +2500. He sits just behind Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
2021 Stats
Smith-Njigba managed to stand tall in a receiver room containing 2022 NFL Draft first-rounders Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. His 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns earned him Third Team All-American honors and some are already projecting him to be the first receiver taken off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He introduced himself to the nation at large by being a human cheat code during Ohio State's frantic 48-45 comeback victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl. JSN set both a program record and bowl game record with 347 receiving yards off 15 receptions and three touchdowns in the win.
What does Jaxon Smith-Njigba need to do to win the Heisman Trophy?
The only receiver to win the Heisman was Devonta Smith in 2020, but that was the product of a dominant season in an extremely weird COVID year. To win, Smith-Njigba needs to have another dominant season of his own where he crosses over 1,700 receiving yards and at has least 15 touchdowns. To even walk into the building for the Heisman ceremony, he needs to already have the Fred Biletnikoff Award in hand.
A dominant season for Smith-Njigba most likely means a dominant season for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, who opens the season as the Heisman frontrunners. In that scenario, voters will most likely give more credit to the quarterback than the receiver and that unfortunately won't be good news for JSN's chances at the award. But there's still a shot.