Ohio State Buckeyes Lose WR to NCAA Transfer Portal

The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost a wide receiver to the NCAA transfer portal.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Brandon Inniss (11) celebrates a touchdown catch with wide receiver Jayden Ballard (9) during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up for the College Football Playoff following their brutal loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the final game of the regular season.

However, just before the playoffs, Ohio State has lost a wide receiver to the NCAA transfer portal.

According to a report from Hayes Fawcett of On3, Jayden Ballard has decided to leave the Buckeyes via the NCAA transfer portal.

BREAKING: Ohio State WR Jayden Ballard plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

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/JLENYWWwrk pic.twitter.com/NDn2tbaCfx

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 4, 2024

Following his transfer, Ballard will have just one year of college football eligibility left. He's hoping that he can land in a place where he can get consistent playing time.

Unfortunately, Ohio State has simply had too much talent at the wide receiver position. Ballard has shown signs of potential, but he hasn't been good enough to crack the regular rotation.

Throughout his career with the Buckeyes to this point, Ballard has caught 11 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown in three seasons. He has dealt with some major NFL talents ahead of him on the Buckeyes' depth chart.

Honestly, seeing him come back for the 2024 season was a bit surprising. There wasn't much of a chance that he would play, especially with the three-headed monster of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, and Carnell Tate ahead of him.

That being said, it will be interesting to see where Ballard ends up landing.

It shouldn't take long for him to find a new home and that home could very well end up being in the Big Ten. There are a lot of teams who could use wide receiver help in the conference.

Hopefully, Ballard will be able to find a perfect transfer destination and be given an opportunity to showcase his talent. That place wasn't Ohio State, but as long as he isn't playing the Buckeyes, it would be good to see him find success elsewhere.