Ryan Day looking for Ohio State football WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be 100% before return

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is looking for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be at full strength in order to return against Arkansas State.

Day said Tuesday that Smith-Njigba will need to be 100% to be available this week, suggesting the Buckeyes will take a cautious approach with their star receiver’s injury.

“We will not bring him back if there’s any risk of him getting hurt in the future,” Day said.

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Smith-Njigba missed most of Saturday’s win over Notre Dame after absorbing a hard hit from safety Brandon Joseph on the second series.

As he landed onto the Ohio Stadium turf, it appeared Smith-Njigba injured his left leg.

In an appearance on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Day expressed some level of optimism about Smith-Njigba’s status, mentioning he was hopeful he could be back as the non-conference portion of their schedule continues Saturday against the Red Wolves.

The nature of Smith-Njigba’s injury remains covered in a bit of mystery. Day declined to provide details about it, maintaining a preference since he took as coach in 2019 to avoid discussing the specifics of players’ injuries.

“I try to do the best I can to give an idea of what’s going on,” Day said, “but not give details of the guys.”

Quarterback C.J. Stroud suggested a hamstring injury is limiting Smith-Njigba, but a diagnosis or extent of the issue remained unclear.

“Hamstring's something you don't play with,” Stroud said. “I had a hamstring (injury) my freshman year. You can’t really run for real. And that’s 50% of his game. He’ll be OK, though.”

Smith-Njigba caught two passes for three yards before being sidelined for most of the game. Without him, the Buckeyes saw their passing game deal with rough patches. Stroud's 223 passing yards against the Irish were the second-fewest of any start over his career with the Buckeyes.

“It kind of skewed our game plan a little bit,” Stroud said, “by taking shots differently. We have to be smart with the ball on my part. It was definitely tough. But at the end of the day, we won.

“After the game, I talked with him. He was extremely happy for us. Of course he wanted to do more, to be a part of the game and he will. Everything will be fine. He’ll be good to go in the next couple of weeks.”

Latest on Julian Fleming

Day said wide receiver Julian Fleming “tweaked something,” a setback that sidelined him for last Saturday’s win over Notre Dame.

Fleming went through most of warmups before he was held out against the Irish.

“It tore his heart out not to be in the game,” Day said. “He had an unbelievable offseason, did a really good job this preseason.”

Fleming was in line to potentially start at one of the outside receiver spots, as he was there opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. in the Rose Bowl, catching five passes for 35 yards.

Emeka Egbuka, who finished with nine receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, filled in.

Day said he is hopeful to have Fleming available against Arkansas State.

Center situation

Starting center Luke Wypler left Ohio Stadium in a walking boot on Saturday night, but is not dealing with a “long-term” injury, as Day attributed it to the physical toll from facing the Irish.

“When you come out of physical games like that, there’s always bumps and bruises,” Day said. “We want to keep an eye on him, but it’s nothing long-term.”

If Wypler is kept out against Arkansas State, the potential replacements involve Matt Jones and Jakob James.

Day mentioned Jones, the right guard, as a candidate to slide over to replace Wypler at center with Enokk Vimahi rotating in for him.

Backup center Jakob James could also replace Wypler.

“Those are our two options,” Day said.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Ryan Day wants Jaxon Smith-Njigba 100% before return