Jayden Ballard will play his final year of college football elsewhere.
The redshirt junior wide receiver has entered the transfer portal after four seasons at Ohio State, none of which saw him emerge as a major contributor for the Buckeyes.
BREAKING: Ohio State WR Jayden Ballard plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 4, 2024
The 63 200 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
A lifelong Buckeye fan from the famed powerhouse Ohio high school of Massillon, Ballard was the third piece of a heralded 2021 wide receiver haul for Brian Hartline that included Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Ballard, all of whom were top-100 recruits. Ballard was the No. 99 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite, the No. 15 wide receiver and No. 4 recruit out of Ohio.
While Egbuka and Harrison both have 1,000-yard receiving seasons to their credit in their Buckeye careers – Harrison has, of course, since moved on to the NFL as the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL draft – Ballard concludes his Ohio State tenure with just 11 receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown. More than half of those yards came in the late stages of a blowout of Toledo in 2022, including a 72-yard strike for his lone career score.
Ballard also tried his hand at some special teams but struggled as a returner in his career. He has 11 punt returns for 63 yards (5.7 per return) and three kick returns for 23 yards (7.7 per return) in his career.
Despite the pending departure of Egbuka, there was no clear role for Ballard in 2025 as Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Bryson Rodgers are all underclassmen who are ahead of him in Ohio State's 2024 receiver rotation. Mylan Graham will also be a contender for more playing time next season after redshirting this year.
Ballard becomes the second Buckeye to announce he’ll enter the transfer portal since the end of the regular season, joining Gabe Powers.
The NCAA transfer portal officially opens next Monday. The portal will be open for players to enter from Dec. 9-28, though players on teams still playing in the postseason will get an additional five-day window to enter the portal after their seasons end. Players do not have to choose their transfer destinations before the portal window closes, and there will be another 10-day window for players to enter the portal from April 16-25.
