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Mississippi State LB Stone Blanton declares for NFL Draft

3rupauk8_400x400by:Robbie Faulk•about 9 hours•

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Mississippi State LB Stone Blanton (Photo by Jared Thomas, Maroon and White Daily)

Mississippi State got a bit of unexpected news on Wednesday as starting linebacker Stone Blanton declared for the NFL Draft.

Right before the begging of his spring semester as a senior with the Bulldogs, Blanton has decided to forego his final year and start his professional journey.

“After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, I am humbled and excited to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft,” Blanton said in a statement on X. “This journey has been filled with unforgettable moments, lessons and blessings.

“First and foremost, I want to thank Mississippi State University and the University of South Carolina for their unwavering support, guidance and the incredible opportunities they provided me on and off the field. To my coaches, teammates and the fans – your belief in me has fueled my passion and determination.

“As I step into this next chapter, I carry with me the strength and wisdom of Jeremiah 29:11… I am trusting in His plan and am ready to embrace this new adventure with faith and gratitude.”

Blanton’s wild journey to Starkville comes to a close

It ends what was an interesting career journey for Blanton. During his high school days at Madison Rigeland Academy, Blanton committed to the Diamond Dawgs and head coach Chris Lemonis as an underclassman in high school. Blanton would eventually begin to garner national attention in football, however, and he would ultimately pick South Carolina as his destination over State.

Blanton was a four-star and one of the top linebackers in the country when he went to Columbia, and he made an impact right away for the Gamecocks. In 2022, Blanton flashed as he played in 12 of his team’s 13 games and made 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

By year two, Blanton was a team captain on defense and he made 52 tackles on the year with 1.0 sack, a forced fumble and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. Blanton chose to transfer after the season and he came back home to play for the Bulldogs.

In his one year with State, Blanton was one of the few bright spots for a struggling Bulldog defense as he finished second on the team in tackles behind the SEC’s leader in Isaac Smith. Blanton had 124 stops on the year with 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The Bulldogs are returning contributors Nic Mitchell and Zakari Tillman at linebacker next season and added a critical piece in Tennessee’s Jalen Smith to the roster in the offseason. State also will have redshirt freshman Fred Clark ready to take a step forward and brought in his former teammate in four-star Tyler Lockhart as well as AJ Rice and Tyshun Willis out of that signing class.

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