2026 Safety Jayden Ballard Commits to WVU Football After Recent Offer

A recently offered recruit committed to the join the WVU football program on Monday night.

Jayden Ballard, a 2026 safety out of Manchester High School in Midlothian, Va., announced his commitment to West Virginia by sharing a long message on social media.

“I’ve got a big update to share. After a lot of thought and talks with my family and coaches, I’ve decided to flip my commitment from UB and will now be committing to WVU.

I want to thank the coaches and everyone at UB for believing in me and giving me a great opportunity. I’ll always appreciate the love and support they showed me.

After spending time at WVU and learning more about the program, I feel it’s the best place for me to grow as both a player and a person. I’m really excited to join the Mountaineer family and get to work.

Thank you to my family, friends, and coaches for helping me through this process. I’m ready for this next chapter,” said Ballard.

His commitment comes after taking an official visit over the weekend.

Despite being committed to another school, Ballard posted about his WVU offer last week. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Ballard committed to Buffalo in late June, but has now been persuaded to test his talents on a bigger stage inside a Power Four conference.

Even though he’s sill hoping to earn more recognition from national recruiting services, Ballard does also have almost 20 Division I offers still on the table.

Find more coverage of WVU football recruiting on WV Sports Now.