Ohio State Buckeyes Sign Class of 2021 Wide Receiver Jayden Ballard

Jayden Ballard from Massillon, OH, a 4-star wide receiver, is joining the 2021 recruiting class and making his way to Columbus.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have officially signed wide receiver JAYDEN BALLARD.

BALLARD PROFILE

Hometown: Massillon, OH
High School: Washington

Height: 6-2
Weight: 175

Offers: Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Washington State

Verbal Commitment Date: June 21, 2019

Recruited By: Brian Hartline, Ryan Day

ESPN: 4-star - No. 48 Overall
Composite: 4-star - No. 66 Overall
247Sports: 4-star - No. 51 Overall
Rivals: 4-star - No. 141 Overall

OHIO STATE OFFICIAL BIO AND STATS

A top-100 prospect who is rated as the nation’s No. 8 receiver and the No. 3 overall player in the state of Ohio … invited to play in the Army All-American Bowl … helped his team with 10 straight games during the 2020 season and advance to the Division II state championship game … a member of the Ohio MaxPreps All-State team … caught 25 touchdown passes over his final two years for head coach Nate Moore at Massillon Washington … caught seven passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a regional final win over Perry … finished his senior year with 36 catches for 573 yards and seven touchdowns … as a junior, caught 68 passes for 1,202 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 80.1 yards per game … had career totals of 141 receptions, 2,636 yards and 37 touchdowns … became Massillon’s all-time leader in career receiving yards and touchdown receptions in 2020 … led the Tigers to three consecutive Division II state title games … is the son of Christina March and Jamaal Ballard.

SI ALL-AMERICAN EVALUATION

Ballard is a big-play receiver with good length and speed. He has good concentration and ball judgment, evidenced by his great ability to adjust to throws to win at catch points. While he needs to add strength and continue developing in the nuances of the receiver position, his speed must be respected by back-end defenders. Ballard projects as a WR2 and deep threat in a college offense’s passing game.

JOHN GARCIA, SI ALL-AMERICAN, ON BALLARD

Few offenses are willing to push the ball to the third level like OSU's in recent years and this class' shot-play wideout is Ballard. It's not just the speed here, though, as his ball-tracking and field awareness allows him to make plays in the short to intermediate as well. Elite quickness rounds out his route-running potential and run-after-catch ability. 

LIVE BLOG: Ohio State Football Coverage of National Signing Day 2020

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