Why C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njibga’s connection can be just as explosive as Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- C.J. Stroud still remembers the first time he met Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and it didn’t take long for the two to realize they already had some things in common.

The two were in Dallas in July 2019 at The Opening, a high school football 7-on-7 showcase that brings together the top rising seniors in the country to compete. Smith-Njigba was there as a wide receiver starting to turn some heads. Stroud was there as a replacement, still a bit unknown, looking to make a name for himself.

Both left the event as well-known, hot commodities. But their first interaction with each other was priceless.

“I remember seeing some light-skinned dude that looked like me from Texas, and he was balling at The Opening,” Stroud said. “I was like, who’s that dude?”

Stroud wouldn’t join Smith-Njigba in Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class for another six months. But the introduction to his twin was the beginning of what would be a lifetime friendship that would produce a historical quarterback-wide receiver tandem of the likes the program’s never seen before.

Other than a toe-tapping touchdown catch by Smith-Njigba in the 2020 season-opener against Nebraska, every major moment the two have had as Buckeyes has been connected. The two even partner off the field with Name, Image and Likeness endorsements with a deal with the Express clothing brand. A deal in which Stroud used to fit the entire Ohio State roster with pre-game suits.

Now, as third-year players, they return as the faces of the nation’s best offense and bonafide Heisman Trophy candidates looking to make history one more time.

We might already know what level of chemistry looks like in the form of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams and that pairing produced a Super Bowl.

“They built something in the offseason, they didn’t just go on the field and just wing it,” Stroud said. “They spent a lot of time not only on the field but in the film room. That’s something that, with this offense, I want to do with my guys.

“I know everybody just talks about Jaxon. Jaxon’s gonna do his thing because that’s what he is. I want to build that relationship with other guys as well. When you can think about things before you even do it and just come to instinct, I think that’s the best thing for the offense.”

Stafford’s first season in Los Angeles resulted in a career year for Kupp leading the NFL in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns on his way to winning Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP. Stroud’s first season as OSU’s starter resulted in Smith-Njigba setting school records for catches (95) and receiving yards (1,606) despite coming into the season as the third wheel behind Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.

In both scenarios, their most impactful moments of the season came in South California with the world watching. The Stafford-Kupp connection had a more routine day in Super LVI inside SoFi Stadium, catching 8 of 10 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

The Stroud-Smith-Njigba connection went nuclear as Stroud leaned heavily on his favorite weapon for a comeback win in the Rose Bowl with 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns. That includes a 30-yard touchdown pass on a slot fade to give OSU its first lead of the game.

“We actually worked on that throw the first day we got on campus,” Stroud said. “We didn’t throw him in the game all year (but) never got the opportunity.

“We throw it in practice all the time. Never got to throw it during the season. I don’t think Justin (Fields) even threw it last year (in 2020).”

The Rams and Buckeyes don’t necessarily run the same exact offense, but the similarities between their best two offensive weapons are uncanny.

Stafford thrives in the pocket, picking team apart while also having the ability to throw the occasional deep ball to take the top off a defense. So does Stroud, whose most special trait is often high football IQ.

Kupp operates in the slot, using his route-running, run-after-catch ability and football instincts to thrive. Smith-Njigba’s the same way.

Those complementary skill sets are what allow their respective play-callers to get creative in how to use them to attack defenses. Sometimes it’s pop passes on jet sweeps. Sometimes it’s finding the soft spot in the zone or being the outlet in a run-pass option play. Other times it’s putting them in the backfield to completely throw off a defense.

The creativity can be limitless.

“When they give me the opportunity to be free it’s honestly when I’m the most creative,” Smith-Njigba said. “C.J. somehow knows where I’m gonna be. He’s a great quarterback so he puts it on me. Makes it pretty easy.

“When they say run a certain distance and you can do whatever, you can break in, break out, go up, go down.”

What we saw last season from both duos is only the beginning stages of what’s to come. Stafford and Kupp can continue to expand on their relationship as franchise players. Stroud and Smith-Njigba will put on display what their connection looks like at the highest level as third-year guys with plenty of experience playing in the nation’s best passing attack.

“C.J. and he just have a great connection,” head coach Ryan Day said. “They have a great feel and there’s a lot of trust there that’s been built over the year. They read each other really well and they have a special connection.

Ohio State’s had quarterback-wide receiver connections in the past. Troy Smith’s and Ted Ginn Jr.’s went back to their days at Glenville High School. Justin Fields and Chris Olave quickly established chemistry in 2019 then spent two years going through the highs and lows together. You can even go back to the days of Joe Germaine and David Boston when the two wrote the school record books together.

But Stroud and Smith-Njigba’s has an extra special detail to it because their entire careers are warped around each other. Both were late-blooming prospects who were considered hot commodities when Ohio State got involved, but eventually turned themselves into top-50 recruits. Both used their sophomore years as breakout seasons to go from unproven talents to potentially the best the sport has to offer.

“Coaches gave us the freedom to do things that we wanted,” Stroud said. “Me and Jaxon were out there balling. Julian (Fleming) was doing his thing. (Kamryn) Babb was doing his thing. That scout period is where you kind of like practice now in the spring, you find where you’re good at individually.”

The two used the Rose Bowl to provide a silver lining to what was a disappointing end of the season for the Buckeyes. That win also serves as the launch point for what the future could hold.

“You can expect plays being made,” Smith- Njigba said.

They spent the 2020 season in backup roles, often using practices to show just how lethal a combination they could be together. They offered the world a small piece of that in 2021. In 2022, we could see it at its best, starting with a top-five matchup against Notre Dame.

Stroud is an NFL-caliber quarterback who can make an accurate throw anywhere on the field. Smith-Njigba is a slot receiver whose skillset brings out the best in his quarterback. Two players whose entire careers have been intertwined from the beginning.

They’ve already set the tone for what to expect this season. The next step is finishing the job in the same place Stafford and Kupp did not too long ago.

“This is what we dreamed for, to go win a natty,” Smith-Njigba said. “We haven’t done that since 2014 at Ohio State (and) that’s the goal. Anything below that is not acceptable.”

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