Wide Receiver Jayden Ballard (Massillon, Ohio/Washington High School), the Ohio State University commit, was officially honored today as a 2021 All-American during a virtual jersey presentation as part of the fifth episode of the Road to the Dome digital series.
Jayden is going to shine in Columbus.
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) October 15, 2020
Welcome Ohio State commit Jayden Ballard (@J_Ball21) to the 2021 All-American Bowl @NBCSports #AAB21 🇺🇸#GoBucks 🌰#AllAmericanBowl 🏈https://t.co/Pwc4Dwsbux pic.twitter.com/zu52tdhZ84
The episode was released tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports YouTube channel. Additional All-Americans featured in tonight’s episode include Ryan Rodriguez, Carter Short, Quintin Somerville, Bram Walden, Nathaniel Wiggins, and Caleb Williams.
Having been selected to play in the twenty-first edition of the All-American Bowl, Ballard will play in the annual East vs. West matchup inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Bowl will be nationally televised, live on NBC, and will feature the nation’s top 100 high school football players.
The Road to the Dome Tour will honor all 100 All-Americans with virtual jersey presentations during a 15-episode series that will be released weekly through various digital and social platforms across NBC Sports.
“Being an All-American is an amazing opportunity,” said Ballard. “You get to compete with the best players the country.”
Ballard was selected by the All-American Bowl Selection Committee, consisting of the All-American Bowl and 247Sports.
Only 100 football players receive the honor of putting on the All-American Bowl jersey each year. Each player selected to participate will culminate their high school careers at the All-American Bowl.
As an NBC Sports-owned property, the All-American Bowl is part of a marquee lineup of elite events that includes the Olympics, the NHL, the Premier League, and the number one primetime show since 2011: Sunday Night Football. The All-American Bowl is annually the most-watched, most-talked about, and most-prestigious high school all-star event with more than 4,500,000 unique television viewers and over 25,000 in attendance. The history and tradition of the All-American Bowl is unparalleled: 450 draft picks; 66 Super Bowl champions; 160 Pro Bowl selections; 17 Heisman finalists including, but not limited to: Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Tim Tebow, Derrick Henry, Joe Thomas, and Trevor Lawrence. For more information, visit NBCSports.com/AllAmericanBowl, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@AABonNBC).
