Even though he wasn’t the most heralded recruit, Jaylen McClain was always confident in his ability to make an early impact at Ohio State.
Ranked as the No. 373 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, McClain wasn’t necessarily expected to earn immediate playing time as a freshman and a starting job as a sophomore. But McClain made it clear just weeks after he arrived at Ohio State that he had big goals for his time in Columbus.
“I want to beat the team up north every time, Big Ten championships, obviously I want to win a national championship, and hopefully I'm going to be a freshman All-American this year, and just continue to be an All-American, and obviously the NFL,” McClain told Eleven Warriors in March 2024 when asked about his goals for his Ohio State career.
McClain wasn’t able to achieve all of those goals – Ohio State didn’t beat Michigan or win the Big Ten championship, and he wasn’t a freshman All-American – but he did make a name for himself early on a team that won the national championship. Although he played only 107 defensive snaps as a freshman, McClain recorded 15 tackles with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Having immediately established himself as Ohio State’s top backup safety, McClain also started one game against Nebraska when Lathan Ransom was sidelined by injury.
In short, McClain fulfilled his prophecy that he would make an impact for the Buckeyes in year one.
“I want to make value for the team. I want to be able to make special teams plays, I want to be able to even play safety for the team. I know we have a lot of depth for the team; I feel like I could add value even to the back end,” McClain said then of his goals for his freshman year.
McClain still had to earn the opportunity to start for Ohio State this season, as he battled with Malik Hartford all offseason to be the starting strong safety alongside Caleb Downs. Going into the season opener, it was anticipated that McClain and Hartford would split snaps at safety against Texas. But McClain played all 67 of Ohio State’s defensive snaps vs. the Longhorns, making it clear he had won the starting job outright.
He showed why. In his first game as a full-time starter, McClain made eight tackles while allowing just one catch for seven yards in 34 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. His efforts as both a pass and run defender, including a 3rd-and-goal tackle of Texas running back CJ Baxter on Ohio State’s goal-line stand, played a key role in Ohio State holding Texas to just one score as the Buckeyes beat the top-ranked Longhorns 14-7.
“An excellent start,” Ryan Day said of McClain’s performance vs. Texas. “I think he works well with Caleb. I think that Caleb's helped him build his confidence at a young age. He's a good tackler. He sees things. He plays downhill. He's fast. Makes good decisions. Plays on special teams at a high level. So he's got a bright future ahead of him. And a real good start in a big spot right there.”
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton said McClain’s performance against Texas reflected how the sophomore safety – who earned Iron Buckeye honors for summer workouts – performed all offseason.
“He was very consistent during training camp. He plays with great effort, and it showed in the game,” Walton said. “He tackled well in space, communicated well and he played fast. So he had a great game as an opener, as a young guy.”
McClain’s quick ascent to the top of the depth chart goes back to his time at Seton Hall Prep, where he earned New Jersey all-state honors as a senior. McClain’s early success at Ohio State continues a trend of Garden State products making a quick impact for the Buckeyes – Cody Simon, Luke Wypler and Ronnie Hickman Jr. are other recent examples – and he believes he was well-prepared to compete for immediate playing time because of what he did in high school.
“Nothing was really just given to us. We had to grind. We didn't always win all the time. We had to learn,” McClain said Wednesday. “Our strength program was good. We always had to overachieve and not make the mistakes that everyone else could. We just had to grind it out.”
He brought that same mentality with him to Ohio State, where he never let his modest recruiting ranking stop him from believing he could become a difference-maker quickly.
“Rankings really doesn't matter,” McClain said. “A lot of people say three-, four-star guys got to work on more development than others, but that really doesn't matter when you get to college. You just have to apply what you already know, play hard, play fast, and just keep on grinding.”
Now, McClain doesn’t have to worry about being overlooked any longer. While he was just the 15th-highest-ranked prospect in Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, he’s one of four members of that class who started against Texas alongside wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, quarterback Julian Sayin and defensive tackle Eddrick Houston – who were all five-star prospects and the three highest-rated recruits in that class to become Buckeyes.
McClain said he feels “blessed” that Ohio State’s coaches trusted him to start in such a big game, and he made the most of that opportunity to prove he deserves to remain a starter. But he’ll continue to play just as hard every week to continue to prove he’s the right man for the job.
“It's just a chip on my shoulder. You've got to play every play like it's your last. Why not go hard every play?” McClain said.
