Jayden Ballard Excited to Face His Former Team, Ohio State, on Saturday
MADISON, Wis. — Jayden Ballard had a smile on his face during fall camp when he was asked about facing his former team, Ohio State (6-0, 3-0), on Oct. 18. Spending the first four seasons of his career with the Buckeyes, Ballard was eager to get a chance to go up against his one-time teammates, and many of whom he still considers friends today. Although Wisconsin (2-4, 0-3) hasn’t had the season they envisioned, that smile was still present during Tuesday’s media availability.
“It’s going to be great competition,” Ballard told Badger Blitz. “Going up against the best guys. Just proving to myself what I can do and also proving what we can do as a team.”
There’s no bad blood between Ballard and Ohio State. This isn’t the case of a transfer moving over to another Big Ten program with a chip on his shoulder. Ballard’s decision was based solely on opportunity. While talented himself, Ballard, a former high school All-American, was buried on the OSU depth chart, competing for snaps with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals), Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks). Admittedly, Ballard would get down on himself at times in Columbus, not getting the reps he felt he was capable of, but he’s not trading in those four seasons for anything.
“I feel like it was a great experience for me, honestly,” Ballard said during fall camp. “Getting to work with high-level guys, high-level coaches. They could teach me things I didn’t know. That allows me to perform like I’m going to be (now).”
Ballard “Starving” Not Hungry
When assistant coach Jordan Reid evaluates wide receivers, one of the main things he looks for is “who’s hungry versus who’s starving?” When recruiting Ballard in the transfer portal, he felt that. Ballard came to Madison with just 11 receptions to his name. After catching eight passes for 155 yards and a touchdown as a redshirt freshman, Ballard caught just two more passes over the next two seasons, including zero in 2023.
“Maybe this is a guy that hasn’t played particularly that much at a previous place. What’s his mental makeup? Where’s his mindset set at?” Reid said during fall camp. “You’re talking about a guy, this is his last year. Mindset should be, ‘My back’s against the wall. It’s my last opportunity.'”
This will be Ballard’s third Ohio State-Wisconsin matchup. The schools last met in 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium, a 24-10 victory for the Buckeyes. Both teams went into the locker room tied at 10 apiece, and it was a one-score game going into the fourth quarter until the Buckeyes threw the final punch. Ballard’s role in that win was relegated to gunner on the punt team.
“I remember ‘Jump Around,'” Ballard laughed.
Ballard Enjoying Best Season Yet
Ballard added his best memory from Ohio State was catching his first touchdown pass from Kyle McCord in 2022 against Toledo. In that game, he went for four receptions for 113 yards in a 77-21 victory at home. On track for his best season, Ballard owns seven catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns with Wisconsin, despite battling a revolving door of quarterbacks and only getting a handful of snaps with starter Billy Edwards thus far. Ballard had a 58-yard touchdown against Middle Tennessee and won a 50-50 ball for a 41-yard score at Alabama.
Going into Saturday, Ballard still keeps in touch with most of the Ohio State receiving corps. He doesn’t have much contact with the secondary other than junior Jermaine Mathews, a fellow Ohio native. Ballard added that the UW coaching staff has not picked his brain this week about how to attack the top-ranked and undefeated Buckeyes. There won’t be a revenge factor in place, but Ballard hopes he can put his best stuff on tape as a salute to the time he spent in Columbus.
“Just gotta treat it like another game,” he said. “They’re the number one team in the nation. Keep a straight head, be confident, and go out there and compete with 100 percent effort.”
