Before Jaxon Smith-Njigba became one of the NFL's best wide receivers, he was one of the best high school recruits in the country.
The Seattle Seahawks superstar led the league in receiving yards in 2025, breaking out in his third season since entering the NFL. While he wasn't quite as heralded as his peers were when coming out of college, his recruiting profile shows he probably should have been.
Smith-Njigba's high school career helped him jump to a premier college program, which then helped him get drafted in the first round. Here's a look at where Smith-Njigba grew up.
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Where is Jaxon Smith-Njigba from?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba grew up in Rockwall, Texas, a town located just outside of Dallas. The wide receiver attended Rockwall High School, where he became a five-star recruit and produced over 2,000 receiving yards and 35 receiving touchdowns in his senior season.
In fact, Smith-Njigba dominated in the playoffs during high school, producing a stat line of 15 catches, 258 yards, and six touchdowns in a second-round game.
According to 247 Sports, Smith-Njigba was the No. 15 player in the 2020 recruiting class, including the No. 2 wide receiver.
Because Smith-Njigba is from so close to Dallas, he was a big Dallas Cowboys fan growing up. In fact, Smith-Njigba has tattoos on his arm of both the state of Texas and the Cowboys logo.
— xz* - Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 16, 2025
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Where did Jaxon Smith-Njigba go to college?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba spent his entire college career at Ohio State, playing three years for the Buckeyes before entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Smith-Njigba was one of many Ohio State wide receivers who have gone on to star in the NFL, although Smith-Njigba's college career wasn't quite as dynamic.
Smith-Njigba-s best collegiate game came during the 2022 Rose Bowl, when he totaled 347 receiving yards on 15 catches with three touchdowns. That is still the record for most catches and receiving yards in Rose Bowl history.
While Smith-Njigba broke out in 2021 as a sophomore, his junior season was marred by injuries, ending his college career with just 23 games played.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba college stats
| Year | Games | Receptions | Receiving yards | Yards per reception | Receiving touchdowns |
| 2020 | 7 | 10 | 49 | 4.9 | 1 |
| 2021 | 13 | 95 | 1,606 | 16.9 | 9 |
| 2022 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 |
Smith-Njigba produced 110 catches, 1,698 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his college career, but most of that production came in his sophomore season. In 2022, Smith-Njigba battled a hamstring injury that limited him to just three games over the course of the season.