15 wideout and the No. You can count Mickey Marotti and his crew among the growing number of Ballard fans, and be rest assured that he is putting in the work. Formations and calls become second nature. Ohio States wide receiver room is absolutely loaded from top to bottom. Massillon (Ohio) Washington Top247 receiver Jayden Ballard was awarded his jersey to play in the All-American Bowl this week. 4 in-state recruit in the class, Ballard's. Neither do we. He also said that his immediate goal is to contribute on special teams, further indicating that the young wide receiver is willing to pay his dues. Coach Hartline is a very good recruiter and he knows what type of players he needs. Massillon (Ohio) Washington Top247 receiver Jayden Ballard was awarded his jersey to play in the All-American Bowl this week. pic.twitter.com/h71pxjQzG0. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Podcast, Teams to watch as spring football begins: Survivor podcast. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Jayden Ballard, Wide Receiver, Massillon Washington | Irish Sports Daily Football Recruiting Status: Committed HIGH SCHOOL Jayden Ballard Wide Receiver 61 / 164 lbs Massillon, OH Massillon Washington Class of 2021 Rating: 92 ? Caught 25 touchdown passes over his final two years for head coach Nate Moore at Massillon Washington Youre Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Ive known him for a while. Obviously becoming the top wide receiver at Ohio State is quite a difficult task. That being the case, now is a great time to introduce you to Ohio States incredibly talented freshman class. They also have a ton of big names returning around them, including last years No. I think me and Jayden are definitely the best basketball players. I can't wait to see him take off. Through four games, Ballard is averaging 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals, which includes a pair of double-doubles, one of which came against Ben Christmans Revere Minutemen (though Christman is not playing prior to enrolling early himself). Just a few days before he signed his national letter of intent, Ballard took a few minutes to talk with us about the upcoming signing. So if you (we) havent done so already, it sounds like its time to raise your expectations for this redshirt freshman. Jayden committed to Ohio State in June of 2019 after also fielding offers from Penn State and Michigan State. All rights reserved (About Us). Its a sport that he absolutely would have been a collegiate scholarship athlete in had he pursued it as a career instead of football. Coach (Ryan) Day and Coach (Brian) Hartline and the environment and how the fans support you. 99 overall player in 2021. And while Harrison and Egbuka continue to receive most of the attention, Ballard is working to become a better player. Ohio State five-star DL target to commit this month. Youre Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Thats huge for him, and hes somebody that could provide a huge, huge boost to our offense because he does have the ability. The Buckeyes soon learn if a 2024 five-star defensive line target will be joining the program, and a quick update on tight end recruiting. They all know it, too, says he has Chrisman as the enforcer, the bruiser and that TreVeyon Henderson would likely be the sixth man. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Ballard is an Ohio native, hailing from Massillon Washington High School, and has been already been a Buckeye for nearly two years. (Marvins) kind of a guy that does all the routes and opens up his route tree more, and he can track the ball like I can, too. And if Olave and Day are gassing a player up, we should probably pay close attention especially since Olave knows a thing or two about rocketing up the depth chart. *Percentile caluculated on how any given stat would rank at the NFL combine historically in the player's position group (Higher value represents better perfomance). Led the Tigers to three consecutive Division II state title games Jayden Ballard was a top-100 (inside the top-50 at one point) national recruit, and one of the highest-rated players in Ohio coming out of high school which is no surprise, given that he set. 4 in-state recruit in the class, Ballards commitment solidified Ryan Day and his staff locking up the top four players in Ohio in the cycle. The wide receiver room within the Ohio State football program is overflowing with talent. Can get down the field and take the top off a defense. What Melton, Stover tell us about footballs defense, The defenses new position could help new stars emerge: Lesmerises. Stroud as Ohio States quarterback? and will push me hard.. COLUMBUS The Buckeyes have landed a commitment from one of Ohios best athletes. Ballard left no room for anyone to question his affinity for the hometown team, and he committed to the Buckeyes all the way back in June of 2019 before finally signing his official letter of intent this past December. Same-Sex Marriage By: Jayden Ballard Kids grown up with Homosexual parents have no disadvantages whatsoever. COLUMBUS, Ohio Jayden Ballard would just as soon not talk for himself, thanks. Jayden Ballard Mick Walker It's still a little hard to comprehend just how good Brian Hartline has been during his time at Ohio State. In-state recruiting has always been a huge point of emphasis for Ohio State, and that has not changed under Ryan Day. He now even wears the same No. Point guard: TreVeyon Henderson or Evan Pryor, Ive never seen (Trey and Evan) play, but Im pretty sure they would be good point guards, Harrison said. Its played inside the Alamo Dome every January in San Antonio, Texas with NBC bringing the national broadcast. Egbuka has an Olave/Wilson-esque ceiling, and I will go to my grave holding Fleming stock but where is the Terry Glenn/Devin Smith-type deep ball specialist? His name is being mentioned by the likes of Chris Olave and Ryan Day, a few guys you might be familiar with. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Wide receiver Jayden Ballard became the 14th member of Ohio State's 2021 recruiting class to have his black striped removed, . Marvin Harrison Jr. committed shortly thereafter, and Emeka Egbuka did so much later in the process, making Ballard the third-highest WR recruit in his teams signing class. He enrolled in classes in Jan. 2021 and went through spring drills So now its time to go put it on the field.. Despite being a top-100 player in his recruiting class, Ballard has not always been hyped up like some of his WR peers. Once he develops his route running, he's going to be one of the best in the country.. In fact, the Buckeyes actually managed to haul in five of the top six players in Ohio in the class, as offensive tackle Ben Christman comes in at No. B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions, A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State, Why is this News? Already a great deep ball threat, if he can continue to work on his short-yardage skills and add a few pounds, he will undeniably earn his fair share of playing time in Columbus. Watch. Finished his senior year with 36 catches for 573 yards and seven touchdowns 2 prospect in Ohio and No. We will continue to watch and read about those guys development as the year progresses, and I can only imagine the things they are cooking up in that WR lab. Over 20,000 fans attend annually with a more TV viewers then any other all-star game combined. In his high school career, he recorded 141 catches for 2,636 yards and 37 touchdowns, becoming Massillon Washington's all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdown receptions. Jayden Ballard Ohio State Buckeyes #9 WR Class Sophomore HT/WT 6' 2", 196 lbs Birthplace Massillon, OH Status Active 2022 season stats REC 8 YDS 155 TD 1 AVG 19.4 I think our class is one of the best classes to be put together, Ballard said before going into what made OSU right for him. Long-strider with solid timed speed. So me and Jayden are definitely up there.. Ballard came into Ohio State along with five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and four-star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He's somebody that could provide a huge, huge boost to our offense because he does have the ability. I stopped after my freshman year to focus on football. Massillon led just 7-3 at halftime, but opened up the contest throughout the second half despite a relatively quiet evening (statistically, at least) from the future Buckeye wide receiver. "He's really athletic, really raw. They did just that. Ballard was the No. I mean, come on, everyone growing up wants to be the baller dunking and hitting threes and whatnot, Sawyer said. Again, not taking away from any of these guys potential to be just that, but Ballard has been billed as the potential next version of those former Buckeye greats. Odds & lines subject to change. Get the latest Ohio State Buckeyes merchandise: Heres where you can order Ohio State football gear online, including jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, hats and much more. Ballard says hes set to enroll early in Columbus. Ballard is Ohio States third commitment in the Class of 2021 and the first receiver committed in that class. Tracks the ball well in the air and wins in contested situations. Regardless of overall class rank, Ballard was a unanimous top-5 player in the state of Ohio and committed to Ohio State during the summer of 2019. 3 overall player in the state of Ohio Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). Twitter: @J_Ball21 Ballard arrived at OSU last spring as a top-100 prospect yet overshadowed by the nations top-ranked receiver Emeka Egbuka, and Marvin Harrison Jr.s Hall of Fame name. Gambling problem? Height: 6-2 (69%*) Weight: 196 (36%*) All Ohio State Draft prospects. Everyone wants to be a baller. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Playing time, really for the next couple of years, will be hard to come by for any young wide receiver at Ohio State. Not taking anything away from his teammates ability to do the same thing, but Ballards potential to take the top off the defense could earn him a unique role in this years offense. I dont know if he told you about that, but he can pull from deep. During a recent spring practice, Day referenced Ballards big-play ability and also mentioned the wideout being a recipient of a most improved award from the strength staff. Now, as a senior, Ballard is trying to leave as much of an imprint on Massillon's basketball program as possible in the nine games he will play before leaving for Columbus. 4-star wide receiver Jayden Ballard joins the Buckeyes from Massillon. Buy Buckeyes gear: Fanatics, Nike, Amazon, Lids, Miller opened up about mental illness, sports world listened, What OSUs RBs want to accomplish, why Harry Millers message matters: Podcast, First NCAA Tournament game must be viewed as must-win for OSU: Means, Henderson says 2021 concussion left side effects for weeks, Miller medically retires, citing mental health struggle, How does WR Fleming feel this spring, where will Egbuka fit in? I think they are going to play him on the outside, probably at Z. I am happy for him and hes going to be one of the good ones for Ohio State., The Buckeyes recently welcomed four quality wide receivers in their 2020 freshmen class, including standouts Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Helped his team with 10 straight games during the 2020 season and advance to the Division II state championship game Ohios fifth-ranked 2021 prospect and the nations 22nd-ranked receiver, Ballard is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound two-sport star at Massillon Washington High School. We really like the way Jayden Ballards come on, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. Ballard is one of quite a few of Ohio States 2021 signees who excel in basketball. Became Massillons all-time leader in career receiving yards and touchdown receptions in 2020 The Buckeyes soon learn if a 2024 five-star defensive line target will be joining the program, and a quick update on tight end recruiting. Drawing a comparison to star NFL wide receiver Chris Godwin and getting early projections as a potential future Day 2 NFL Draft pick, here is what 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu had to say of Ballards abilities: Has good height. 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