Wisconsin landed a commitment from former Ohio State wide receiver Jayden Ballard on Wednesday.
Ballard is Wisconsin’s first transfer wide receiver addition of the cycle and its 10th transfer commitment. He joins the program with one year of eligibility remaining.
Related: Tracking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal offers, interests and commitments
Ballard entered the portal after four years with the Buckeyes. He joined the program in 2021 as one of the top recruits in the country (No. 55 overall in the class of 2021).
The Ohio native never fully delivered on his top recruiting profile amid a loaded wide receiver room in Columbus. He played in 35 combined games over four seasons, totaling 11 catches, 177 receiving yards and one touchdown. His 2022 campaign accounted for much of that production: eight catches, 155 yards and a touchdown.
BREAKING: Ohio State transfer WR Jayden Ballard has Committed to Wisconsin, @on3sports has learned
The 6’3 200 WR will have 1 year of eligibility remaining
Was ranked as a Top 70 Recruit (No. 10 WR) in ‘21 per On3https://t.co/JLENYWX4gS pic.twitter.com/yAG7fAkcue
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 18, 2024
Ballard joins a Wisconsin wide receiver room that recently lost both Will Pauling and C.J. Williams to the transfer portal. Redshirt sophomore Trech Kekahuna (slot) and senior Vinny Anthony each figure to start, leaving a major opportunity at the second boundary position. Ballard joins a mix of contenders for that starting spot that also includes redshirt juniors Joseph Griffin Jr. and Quincy Burroughs.
Overall, the wide receiver group figures to play a prominent role as new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes installs his scheme, shifting the program away from its air raid approach.
Wisconsin had a top-10 transfer class before Ballard’s commitment. His addition should propel the group further up the rankings.
Bookmark our transfer visit and commitment tracker as Luke Fickell and his staff continue to make significant moves to bolster the roster.
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