Four-Star Safety Jaylen McClain commits to Ohio State

Four-star safety Jaylen McClain of West Orange (NJ) Seton Hall Prep announced his commitment to Ohio State Monday afternoon.

The 6-foot, 185 pounder chose the Buckeyes over USC, Notre Dame, and Oregon.

McClain on why he chose Ohio State

“What led me to commit to Ohio State was how my relationship with the coaches was beyond football,” McClain said. “Also, Coach Day has a standard for his program and how he wants to win championships and develop NFL players.”

Relationship with coach Eliano + their plan for Jaylen McClain

“I’m closest with coach Eliano and our relationship is great, we have been building it for a long time,” McClain said. “I met his family and he wants to coach me. He plans to use me as a strong safety.”

Strong 2024 class + goals for the class

“The class we have is stacked and is only going to get better. Looking forward to building a stronger relationship with them. The standard is going to remain the standard, beat the team up north, big 10 championships, and national championships.”

The New Jersey defensive back joins coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ no. 2 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Mylan Graham, and others.

McClain ranks as the No. 285 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 26 safety and the No. 4 player in the state of New Jersey.

On3 ranks him higher than the industry, as he ranks as the No. 106 player nationally, the No. 7 safety, and the top player in the state of New Jersey.

He currently does not have an On3 NIL Valuation publicly listed. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.