Scarlet Sunrise: Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes yet another preseason watch list

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes yet another preseason watch list

Another day of the preseason, another watch list for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The do-it-all Ohio State wide receiver, largely considered the top receiver in the country, was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list. That award is given to the country’s college offensive player of the year who was born in Texas, attended high school in Texas or attends a Texas college or university.

The award listed 63 players on the watch list.

It’s no surprise to see Smith-Njigba on that list, after he shattered high school football records in the state of Texas when he played at Rockwall High School.

Now he has a chance to win the prestigious Lone Star State award, and he could become the second Buckeyes player to do so. Former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins did it in 2019.

Pair of second-year Buckeyes crack annual college football Freaks List

The Buckeyes have been widely projected to be in the College Football Playoff this fall, and that’s because of the amount of high-level athletes they have. And it’s showing up everywhere.

As the season draws closer, Bruce Feldman from The Athletic released his annual college football Freaks List, and a pair of rising Ohio State stars cracked the top 100. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is No. 2 in the country on the list, topped only by Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith. And Buckeyes defensive tackle Tyleik Williams checked in at No. 66, continuing his incredible rise as a national name to know.

Lettermen Row made sure to down how each of the Buckeyes freaks got to this point — and how they can break out this fall. Check out the full story below.

READ: Pair of second-year Buckeyes crack annual college football Freaks List

ICYMI: Tim May Podcast

After an offseason full of using his podcast to revisit with former players, break down and analyze Buckeyes history and talk about Name, Image and Likeness, the long-time Ohio State beat writer is back to focusing on another massive topic: Buckeye Nation and Buckeyes fans — the largest fanbase in the country.

Tim welcomes Samford professor Darin White, the Executive Director for the Center for Sports Analytics. He recently did a study to show just how big fanbases are across college football, and he found that no fanbase tops the Buckeyes, especially in the Big Ten. The reach of the Ohio State fanbase is much greater than any other fan base in the league, and the study just confirmed that.

If that wasn’t enough for the episode, Tim also welcomes Ed Terwilliger, the Ohio State Director of High School Relations. Terwilliger joined the Buckeyes program in 2015 and has been a huge help on the trail for Urban Meyer and Ryan Day during his career. Before his time at Ohio State, Terwilliger was the head coach at Olentangy for 24 years, winning 138 games.

Counting down

Buckeyes season opener vs. Notre Dame: 23 days away

Ohio State vs. Michigan: 107 days away

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