Scarlet Sunrise: Paris Johnson Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Luke Wypler sign rookie contracts

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Paris Johnson Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Luke Wypler sign rookie contracts

Ohio State had exactly six players drafted for the second year in a row last month: quarterback C.J. Stroud (No. 2 overall, Houston Texans), offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (No. 6 overall, Arizona Cardinals), wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 20 overall, Seattle Seahawks), defensive end Zach Harrison (No. 75 overall, Atlanta Falcons), offensive tackle Dawand Jones (No. 111 overall, Cleveland Browns) and center Luke Wypler (No. 190 overall, Cleveland Browns).

Three of them (Johnson, Smith-Njigba and Wypler) have already signed their NFL rookie contracts.

Here are the details of each of their contracts, according to Spotrac:

PARIS JOHNSON JR.

• Draft position: No. 6 (round 1)
• Team: Arizona Cardinals
• Total value: $28,052,454
• Signing Bonus: $17,401,784
• 2023 cap: $5,100,446

JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA

• Draft position: No. 20 (round 1)
• Team: Seattle Seahawks
• Total value: $14,417,307
• Signing Bonus: $7,485,316
• 2023 cap: $2,621,329

LUKE WYPLER

• Draft position: No. 190 (round 6)
• Team: Cleveland Browns
• Total value: $4,019,972
• Signing Bonus: $179,972
• 2023 cap: $794,993

Note: A player’s draft position determines the details of his four-year rookie contract. Teams have specific parameters for how much or how little they can spend on picks, and those criterion depend on where a player is selected.

Ohio State quarterback commit Air Noland earns Elite 11 finals invite

Four-star Fairburn (Ga) Langston Hughes quarterback and Ohio State commit Air Noland made headlines in the recruiting world this weekend.

Noland earned an invitation to the Elite 11 quarterback competition in Los Angeles.

He is the No. 4 signal caller in the 2024 class, according to On3, which also ranks him the No. 42 overall prospect in the cycle.

“I’m very blessed and very happy,” Noland told On3. “This is a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was a little kid so it’s very exciting.”

Lettermen Row has more here.

With addition of Tywone Malone, Ohio State continues New Jersey recruiting success

Ohio State adding former Ole Miss defensive tackle Tywone Malone wasn’t just a boost for the Buckeyes’ defensive interior. It was also another recruiting win for Ohio State in the state of New Jersey — even if it was a delayed victory.

Longtime Buckeyes D-Line coach Larry Johnson recruited Malone out of Bergen Catholic during the 2021 cycle. Although Malone ultimately chose Ole Miss, where played both football and baseball in 2021-22, Ohio State’s connection with the former four-star prospect paid off when he entered the transfer portal this spring.

Ohio State knows talent when it sees it in the Garden State. Lettermen Row went back and took a look at key players from New Jersey the Buckeyes have reeled in since Ryan Day took over as head coach.

Check it out here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 112 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 196 days

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