Stone Blanton

* 2023 Outstanding Student Athlete
* 2023 Strength & Conditioning Award
* 2023 Honorable Mention All-SEC (College Football Network)
* 2023 CSC Academic All-District
* 2022-23 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Linebacker who appeared in 24 games over two seasons with the Garnet & Black logging a dozen starts… credited with 59 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss.

2023 (Sophomore)
Started all 12 games at linebacker… finished fifth on the squad with 52 total tackles… had one sacks, three pass break ups, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble… also intercepted one pass, returning it 88 yards to paydirt late in the contest to seal the win over Jacksonville State… logged a career high 10 tackles in the season opener against North Carolina… had four stops, forced a fumble and registered a pass breakup against Mississippi State… notched six tackles in the season-finale against Clemson… recognized with the coaches’ Outstanding Student Athlete and the Strength & Conditioning Award following the season… earned honorable mention all-conference accolades from College Football Network and was a member of the Academic All-District team… announced he was entering the transfer portal on Dec. 23.

2022 (Freshman)
True freshman who saw action in 12 of 13 games… did not see action against Charlotte… accumulated seven tackles, including five solo stops… credited with 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup… logged a pair of tackles against both Texas A&M and Florida… notched his first career tackle for loss and pass breakup in the win over South Carolina State… also had a half-tackle for loss at Florida… named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Jackson, Miss. in 2022… was also an outstanding baseball player… was a semifinalist (top 15) for the high school Butkus Award… selected to play in the Under Armour All-America game… named the MAIS 6A Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Patriots to an 11-3 record and the state championship… also named the WAPT/Blitz 16 Player of the Year… led the Patriots with 125 tackles, 26 TFLs and 11 sacks as a senior… credited with 99 tackles, 11 TFLs and five sacks as a junior… logged 61 tackles with 14.5 TFLs and four sacks as a sophomore in 2019… coached by Herbert Davis… considered the seventh-best player in the state of Mississippi, the 28th-best linebacker in the nation and No. 285 overall by 247Sports Composite… rated as the 14th-best player in the state and the 13th-best inside linebacker in the country by Rivals… rated No. 230 on the ESPN300 list.

PERSONAL
Archer Stone Blanton was born Sept. 12, 2002… is undeclared on his major.