| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 1534 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Rockwall native Jaxon Smith-Njigba was chosen by the |
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| 6 | 6 | | Seattle Seahawks with the 20th pick in the first round of the |
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| 7 | 7 | | National Football League Draft on April 27, 2023; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The top wide receiver taken off the board, |
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| 9 | 9 | | Mr. Smith-Njigba first gained widespread acclaim at Rockwall High |
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| 10 | 10 | | School, where he helped the Yellowjackets advance to the 2019 UIL 6A |
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| 11 | 11 | | Division 1 state semifinals; that season, he caught 104 passes for |
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| 12 | 12 | | 2,094 yards and 35 touchdowns and collected countless awards, |
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| 13 | 13 | | including selection as the Gatorade Texas Player of the Year and as |
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| 14 | 14 | | an All-American by Sports Illustrated and USA Today; he finished |
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| 15 | 15 | | his high school career with 5,346 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns |
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| 16 | 16 | | in 44 games, earning a place in the record books among the top |
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| 17 | 17 | | wideouts in Texas football history; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Several top programs offered Mr. Smith-Njigba a |
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| 19 | 19 | | scholarship, but he decided to enroll at Ohio State University; |
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| 20 | 20 | | after playing in seven games as a freshman, he was selected to start |
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| 21 | 21 | | at slot receiver heading into his sophomore year; on November 6, |
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| 22 | 22 | | 2021, against the University of Nebraska, he set a school record |
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| 23 | 23 | | with 15 receptions for 240 yards, which was the second highest |
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| 24 | 24 | | receiving total in OSU history at the time; later that season, he |
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| 25 | 25 | | led the Buckeyes to victory with a spectacular performance in the |
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| 26 | 26 | | Rose Bowl, setting an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
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| 27 | 27 | | record for yards in a bowl game with 347; moreover, his 1,606 |
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| 28 | 28 | | receiving yards that year broke the Big 10 Conference record, and he |
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| 29 | 29 | | received All-American third team honors from the Associated Press; |
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| 30 | 30 | | although a hamstring injury limited his junior season to just three |
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| 31 | 31 | | games, he declared for the NFL draft and was one of the premier |
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| 32 | 32 | | pass-catchers available in the 2023 field; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, this proud Texan benefits from |
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| 34 | 34 | | a fine family that includes his parents, Jami Smith and Maada |
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| 35 | 35 | | Smith-Njigba, and his brother, Canaan Smith-Njigba, a fellow |
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| 36 | 36 | | professional athlete and current outfielder for the Pittsburgh |
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| 37 | 37 | | Pirates; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Through his hard work and perseverance, Jaxon |
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| 39 | 39 | | Smith-Njigba has distinguished himself as one of the top |
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| 40 | 40 | | professional football prospects in the nation, and his many fans |
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| 41 | 41 | | throughout Texas are looking forward to following his career in the |
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| 42 | 42 | | NFL; now, therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 44 | 44 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Jaxon Smith-Njigba on his |
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| 45 | 45 | | selection in the 2023 NFL Draft and extend to him sincere best |
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| 46 | 46 | | wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 47 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 48 | 48 | | prepared for Mr. Smith-Njigba as an expression of high regard by |
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| 49 | 49 | | the Texas House of Representatives. |
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| 50 | 50 | | Holland |
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| 51 | 51 | | ______________________________ |
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| 52 | 52 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 53 | 53 | | I certify that H.R. No. 1534 was adopted by the House on May |
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| 54 | 54 | | 19, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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| 55 | 55 | | ______________________________ |
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| 56 | 56 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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