What You Need to Know About West Virginia DB Signee Jayden Ballard

Back in late October, the West Virginia Mountaineers flipped the commitment of defensive back Jayden Ballard from Buffalo. Today, he made that move official by signing with the program on the first day of the early signing period.

S Jayden Ballard's Recruiting Profile

Follow him on X: @JaydenBallard_

Height: 6'1" Weight: 184

Hometown: Midlothian, VA

High School: Manchester

Other offers: Air Force, Army, Bryant, Buffalo, Charlotte, Dartmouth, Delaware State, Elon, Fordham, Georgetown, Hampton, Monmouth, Navy, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, Richmond, Stony Brook, Wofford.

Scouting Report

Ballard is another of these recruits who seems like a perfect fit, simply based on how he plays the game with maximum effort and plays fast. Rich Rodriguez wanted to get bigger and faster in the secondary, and Ballard is a prime example of what they are searching for. He doesn't look big, but he plays that way. Receivers have to keep their head on a swivel when he's lurking around. It's not so much that he'll lay the lumber, but that the velocity at which he attacks is what makes him a physical player. He is a fearless player who has no problem coming up and helping in the run game, which is something you don't always see from young safeties.

Projected Playing Time

He seems like the perfect fit for the nickel position, but I actually think he'll end up spending most of his time as a deep safety because of how well he covers ground and delivers hits that can jar the ball loose. I don't see a major role for him next fall, regardless of what WVU ends up doing in the transfer portal. There is, however, an outside chance that he sees some time on special teams in addition to limited reps on defense, where he can retain his redshirt.

TUNE IN TONIGHT TO WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Later tonight, we will have our annual National Signing Day special on our YouTube Page (West Virginia On SI). Be sure to subscribe to the channel to get a notification the second the episode drops. On this year's show, we'll be joined by offensive lineman Camden Goforth and pass rusher Noah Tishendorf. We'll offer a full breakdown of the 2026 class, discussing who could contribute or start from day one, who may need some time to develop, under-the-radar signees, and what the remaining needs are for the Mountaineers in the transfer portal.