Jaylen McClain
American football player (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaylen McClain (born June 24, 2006)[1] is an American football safety for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
| No. 18 – Ohio State Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 24, 2006[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 201 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Seton Hall Preparatory (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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| Stats at ESPN | |
Early life
McClain attended high school at Seton Hall Preparatory School located in Essex County, New Jersey. During his junior season, he notched 83 tackles along with two interception, while also scoring an offensive touchdown.[2] Coming out of high school, McClain was rated as a four-star recruit, the 22nd overall safety, and the 243 overall player in the class of 2024, where he committed to play college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes over offers from other schools such as Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, and USC.[3][4]
College career
During his true freshman season in 2024, he played in all 15 games, notching 15 tackles.[5] Heading into the 2025 season, McClain competed with Malik Hartford for a starting spot in the Buckeyes secondary.[6][7] Ultimately, he would beat out Hartford, and become the team's starting safety besides Caleb Downs.[8][9] In week one of the 2025 season, McClain notched eight tackles in a victory over the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns.[10] In week three, he notched a pass deflection, in a 37-9 victory over Ohio.[11]