100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 10 Days - No. 10, S Corey Ellington and TE Cameron Ball
Jeff Lebby’s era of Mississippi State football has arrived.
The Bulldogs are on their third coach in as many years as Mike Leach’s tragic passing opened the door for defensive coordinator Zach Arnett’s debut as head coach last year. That experiment failed before the year even ended for State and now it’s Lebby’s turn to take the wheel.
While there is always a risk in hiring first time head coaches, Lebby brings to Starkville an exciting offensive scheme that has been productive everywhere he’s been. The coach has also brought with him some swagger that has the fanbase ready to see what’s next.
Over the course of the next 100 days, we will take a look at Lebby’s roster and even some fun historical rewinds that will bring back memories for Dawg fans of all ages.
Today, we look at two players on each side of the ball looking for a big year.
100 Day Bulldog Countdown: 10 Days
No. 10, Sr. S Corey Ellington
Ellington’s journey in maroon and white is winding down this season and the Lexington native can finish strong this year.
With 31 games under his belt, Ellington has made 92 career tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble. Last year was his best year as a Bulldogs as he had more production combined than either of his first two. Ellington made 66 tackles and had all 4.0 of his TFL and 2.0 sacks.
Prior to last year, Ellington began by playing in eight games as a true freshman and making 12 tackles. He got his first career start in the Bulldogs’ Liberty Bowl matchup against Texas Tech in 2021. As a sophomore he had 14 tackles in 11 games.
Ellington played his ball for Holmes County Central and was a part of the State class of 2021. He played a little bit of everything during his career as he was quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. After catches 48 passes for 858 yards and 15 touchdowns his junior season with 40 tackles and seven interceptions, Ellington had 30 catches for 387 yards and three touchdowns and 76 tackles on defense.
Indiana and Arkansas were the biggest threats to the Bulldogs but Ellington never really had the intentions of going out of state as he committed to State during the spring of the pandemic in 2020.
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Ellington played three seasons with State and then decided to hit the transfer portal last year after the hiring of Lebby. The Bulldogs would ultimately convince him to stay in Starkville and he’s back in maroon and white one final time.
Sources have indicated that Ellington could miss some time to start the season, however. The senior safety has been banged up recently and might not be ready for game time. He is expected to return to the field at some point.
No. 10, So. TE Cam Ball
State’s tight end group got some skill and experience in it in a hurry this offseason after the addition of the Ball brothers.
Justin had a productive career at Vanderbilt, but the brightest future might come from the younger brother, Cameron. The Washington, D.C. native wasn’t highly recruited coming out of Gonzaga High School and he was rated the No. 110 tight end nationally and No. 1,754 overall across the industry.
Buffalo was the only offer that came through for the 6’6 tight end and he would land there. After redshirting his first year on campus, Ball worked his way into a starting position midway through last year. He played in 10 games and started six as he hauled in eight catches for 82 yards.
After entering the transfer portal, Ball followed his brother to State. He has impressed his coaches and teammates and is expected to have a bright future with the Bulldogs in the coming years.
