Tag: Jayden Ballard

Ohio State wide receiver transfer makes shocking commitment to Big Ten foe

Ohio State wide receiver transfer Jayden Ballard is going to Wisconsin, Hayes Fawcett reported Wednesday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had a wealth of talent at the wide receiver position, and unfortunately, one could make the argument that they’ve had too much talent at times, making it difficult to get snaps to all the highly-touted prospects.

That’s why some, like Jayden Ballard, ended up transferring, likely finding it easier to shine elsewhere. That said, Ballard has officially committed, and he’s heading up north to Wisconsin.

The Badgers are getting a potential star in the making with a single year left in his college career.

Ballard has spent the last four seasons with the Buckeyes, playing in 35 games yet ending with just 11 receptions for 63 yards. He did some kick returning this season as well.

With players like Jeremiah Smith coming in and usurping him on the depth chart along with the multiple five-star talents in Columbus, Ballard’s exodus is clearly a move that’s best for his career.

Ballard was a standout recruit in the Class of 2021, ending as the fourth-best receiver prospect, only behind Troy Franklin (Oregon), Ja’Corey Brooks (Alabama) and Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State).

That said, at Wisconsin, Ballard could be the top option for Luke Fickell and his squad.

BREAKING: Wisconsin lands commitment from Ohio State transfer wide receiver

Wisconsin lands an experienced transfer wide receiver

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.

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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Report: Wisconsin lands visit with Ohio State transfer wide receiver, former top recruit

Another high-profile transfer visit for the Badgers

Wisconsin is scheduled to host Ohio State transfer wide receiver Jayden Ballard on an official visit, according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

The Badgers recently landed their first two transfer commitments in the cycle, the latest from top tight end Tanner Koziol. Ballard joins the program’s growing list of visits and significant interests.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal offers, interests and commitments

The former Ohio State Buckeye was a former top recruit in the class of 2021, ranked as the No. 55 overall player in the class and No. 4 wide receiver. He was one of the top recruits in a Buckeyes class that finished the cycle ranked No. 2 in the nation — headlined by quarterback Quinn Ewers, defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau, DL Jack Sawyer, offensive tackle Donovan Jackson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

Ballard never rose to the top of the wide receiver depth chart during his time with the school. His most productive season came in 2022: eight catches, 155 yards and one touchdown. His career numbers in four seasons are 35 games, 11 catches, 177 yards and one score.

He is in the portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

Wisconsin continues to target the wide receiver position after a pair of sub-par passing seasons under former coordinator Phil Longo. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes plans to return the Badgers to a more pro-style approach. As seen most recently in 2019 with Quintez Cephus, that pro-style offense works best with top talents on the outside.

Ballard may not fit the exact bill of top talent after struggling to produce at Ohio State. But sometimes, a change of scenery is all that’s necessary. That is what Wisconsin is hoping for by pursuing the former top recruit.

For more on Wisconsin’s portal activity this cycle, bookmark our transfer offer, visit and commitment tracker.

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Ohio State wide receiver enters transfer portal

Ohio State wide receiver enters transfer portal #GoBucks

Ohio State football is dealing with some transfer announcements and this one is not super surprising, but a bit disappointing. Wide receiver, Jayden Ballard, has announced his intentions on entering the transfer portal for his last season of eligibility.

Ballard is a Massillon, Ohio, product who arrived to Columbus as a four-star prospect in the class of 2021. He has spent four seasons with the program and every year it seems we were expecting a breakout, but that breakout never occurred.

The 2021 receiver class included three studs in Emeka Egbuka, Ballard, and Marvin Harrison Jr., and it may be surprising to some that Ballard was actually higher rated than Harrison in that class. Ballard will leave Ohio State with only 11 receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown. An absolute burner with size at 6-foot, 2-inches and 175 pounds, it would not be surprising to see a few powerhouse programs come knocking on his door.

Ohio State football vs Missouri: Five observations halftime review

Ohio State football vs Missouri: Five observations halftime review #GoBucks

Welcome to halftime of the Cotton Bowl and despite the low score, the Ohio State Buckeyes are in solid position with a 3-0 lead over the Missouri Tigers. It isn’t all doom and gloom despite what is being shared on social media. This Missouri team is extremely talented and Ohio State is dealing with injuries at the quarterback position.

It is a bit odd that Ryan Day is refusing to open up the playbook at all, but I want to reserve my anger until the second half. We have seen Devin Brown struggle and then get hurt and a true freshman in Lincoln Kienholz, who is clearly not ready, be not allowed to throw the ball, which is very odd given the constantly stacked boxes.

Again, it sounds like I am upset, but I am really not, I feel that the Buckeyes are in good position going into halftime and I am very excited to see what Ryan Day comes up with in the second half. Let’s dive into he top five most interesting topics from the first half.

Five Ohio State football players who could enter the transfer portal this offseason

Which Buckeyes do you see leaving via the portal after the season ends?

As the college football regular season winds down, Ohio State football, like many other teams across the country, will be watching the transfer portal to see who will be on the move.

Some players have already submitted their names, while others are waiting for their seasons to play out before making a decision.

The Buckeyes have not seen many players leave, although that might change this offseason.

I want to preface this list by saying it is pure speculation, educated guesses about which Ohio State football players could be on the move after this season. Here is who I think could be looking for a new football home.

Ohio State football: Five players on offense poised for a breakout in 2023

Who do you think breaks out on the national scene? #GoBucks

With fall camp starting for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] Thursday, one can only dream of what to expect during the season.

Like every year in college football, there is plenty of turnover, but one thing we know about the Buckeyes, they don’t rebuild, they reload. Multiple stars from the 2022 team have gone on to the NFL, but Ohio State isn’t short of talented players waiting in the wings.

This season, there are more than a few non-returning starting spots open, so there will be new names we’ll see on Saturdays making an impact. Here are five Buckeyes that I believe will have breakout seasons and become household names on the offensive side of the ball.

Don’t worry, we’ll hit the defense next.

On3 ranks Ohio State as the top wide receiver unit in college football

I mean, it’s really no surprise here, right? #GoBucks

On3’s Jesse Simonton started releasing his position group rankings for next season last week.

Given the strength of the Buckeyes’ wide receiver room, it comes as no surprise that they come in at number one on this list. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba out with a hamstring injury for most of last season, Ohio State returns their top six leaders in receiving yards.

The headliner of the unit is Marvin Harrison Jr. who is the consensus top wide receiver in all of college football. Harrison Jr.’s talent was apparent in his true freshman season and last season he broke out leading the team in catches (77), receiving yards (1,263), and receiving touchdowns (14).

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The expectations for Harrison Jr. this season are sky-high as he will be an integral part of the Buckeyes offense and could even be a dark horse Heisman contender.

One of college football’s best receivers last season also returns with big expectations for this season. Emeka Egbuka is perhaps a bit under shadowed because he plays alongside Harrison Jr., but he was an integral part of the offense last season and will be this season as well.

Harrison Jr. and Egbuka are the clear top two target leaders in the offense and that third receiver option is also likely locked down as well.

Julian Fleming was third on the team in receiving yards with 533 yards in last season. The former five-star from the 2020 class would likely be the top receiver on many teams across college football.

Jayden Ballard is another good option as he could provide more of a deep-threat element to the offense.  Ballard showed out with a good performance at the Spring Game including a one-handed catch.

Returning for his sixth season with the Buckeyes will be Xavier Johnson. He has shown consistently that he can step up when he’s called upon as he caught two big touchdowns last season including a third-down strike over the middle against Notre Dame to give Ohio State the lead late in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes also bring in a very talented group of freshmen receivers.  Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers, and Brandon Inniss all were top ten ranked wide receivers in the 2023 class.

While they may not make a major impact this season, they will be important factors in the offense very soon.

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Watch: Ohio State wide receiver Jayden Ballard with a crazy one-handed catch

SportsCenter Top 10?!? #GoBucks

It’s just the spring game but [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] is going to have a to find a fourth wide receiver behind [autotag]Marvin Harrison Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Emeka Egbuka[/autotag] and [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag].

One of those candidates is [autotag]Jayden Ballard[/autotag], who has shown that he can the speed to take any pass to the house. His hands? Well I think he answered that question during the Scarlet and Gray game.

On a play during the second quarter, quarterback [autotag]Kyle McCord[/autotag] looked to his left, fired a pass to Ballard where only he could catch and and made a spectacular one-handed grab on the sidelines. The third-year receiver was able to get a foot down inbounds as well to complete the grab. Check it out the amazing catch below.

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Ohio State early enrollee wide receiver Carnell Tate impresses during scrimmage

Might Tate crack the lineup in his freshman year? #GoBucks

Show me a deeper room among college football than the [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] wide receivers. It’s an extremely difficult task.

There is talent all over, from proven stars such as [autotag]Marvin Harrison Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Emeka Egbuka[/autotag], to solid contributors like [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Johnson[/autotag]. That’s not even including [autotag]Jayden Ballard[/autotag], who many believe is the next player to makes waves among the group.

It’s an extremely hard lineup to crack but early enrollee [autotag]Carnell Tate[/autotag] is making his case to play right away. The freshman wowed during today’s scrimmage and as someone who has known the Illinois native since his freshman year of high school, it doesn’t surprise me one bit.

Check out below some of the clips of practice along with reactions from Tate’s impressive showing.