2024 Football Roster
Roster
Stone Blanton
- Position:
- LB
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 230
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Jackson, Miss.
- High School/Previous School:
- Madison-Ridgeland Academy (South Carolina)
Career Honors
2025 NFF Hampshire Honor Society
2024 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2022-23 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
Career Notes
Played in 36 career games with 24 starts … Started 24 consecutive games through the 2024 season … Played in 33 straight games dating back to Sept. 29, 2022 … Following the 2024 season, Blanton has recorded 184 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery … Seven career double-digit tackle games … Declared for the 2025 NFL Draft on Jan. 15, 2025 and has until Feb. 7 to decide to stay in or pull his name out of the draft.
2024 (Junior Season)
Played in 12 games with 12 starts … Career-best 125 tackles … First-career 100+ tackle season … Earned 125 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery … Tied for second in the SEC in total tackles and tied for ninth in the FBS … Joined teammate Isaac Smith to help State have the top two tacklers in the SEC for three straight seasons … Finished second on the team in tackles … Six double-digit tackle games … Led the team in tackles a team-best seven times … 14+ tackles in three of the final four games … Career-high 18 tackles vs. Missouri … Eastern Kentucky (8/31): Made his Mississippi State debut and made his first start in the Maroon & White … Recorded five tackles, all assisted tackles … Earned a pass break up … Earned a coverage grade of 79.9 which was the second-best coverage grade for all linebackers in the SEC ... at Arizona State (9/7): Recorded eight tackles, three solo and five assisted ... Toledo (9/14): Recorded 10 tackles, one solo and nine assisted ... Set a new career high in forced fumbles ... Florida (9/21): Recorded eight tackles, one solo and seven assisted … Tied for the team lead in tackles with Isaac Smith ... First time in 2024 leading or tying for the team lead in total tackles ... at Texas (9/28): Recorded 10 tackles, four solo and six assisted … Had one tackle for loss for two yards … Earned a half a sack … forced a fumble and recovered it for his first career fumble recovery … First game as a Bulldog with double-digit tackles ... at Georgia (10/12): Recorded nine tackles, eight solo and one assisted ... at Georgia (10/12): Recorded nine tackles, eight solo and one assisted … Led the team in tackles ... vs. Texas A&M (10/19): Recorded nine assisted tackles … Had one QB hurry … Had one pass break up ... Arkansas (10/26): Recorded 10 tackles, one solo and nine assisted … Third double-digit tackle game of the season ... Led the team in tackles four the fourth time this season ... UMass (11/2): Recorded 14 tackles, two solo and 12 assisted … Had one pass break up … Led the team in tackles for the fifth time this season ... at Tennessee (11/9): Recorded nine tackles, one solo and eight assisted ... vs. Missouri (11/23): Recorded 18 tackles, three solo and 15 assisted … Had one tackle for loss … Earned his fifth double-digit tackle game of the season ... Season-high in tackles … at Ole Miss (11/29): Recorded 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
2023Â (Sophomore Season - South Carolina)
Started all 12 games for the Gamecocks ... Recorded 52 tackles with one sack, one interception and one forced fumble ... Had a season-high 10 tackles in the season-opener against North Carolina ... Lone sack on the year came against Georgia on Sept. 16.
2022 (True Freshman Season - South Carolina)
He was a 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 No. 230 on the ESPN300 list.
Personal
Archer Stone Blanton was born Sept. 12, 2002 ... Goes by his nickname 'Stone' ... Grew up a huge Mississippi State fan, coming to games with his family his whole life ... Originally committed to play baseball at Mississippi State … is undeclared on his major.
Social Media
X/Twitter – @stoneblanton7
Instagram – stoneblanton7
Career-Highs
Tackles: 18, vs. Missouri (11/23/2024)
Tackles for Loss: 1.5, at Ole Miss (11/29/2024)
Sacks: 1.0, at Georgia (9/16/2023) *
QB Hurries: 2, vs. Vanderbilt (South Carolina, 11/11/2023) *
Interceptions: 1, vs. Jacksonville State (11/4/2023) *
Pass Breakups: 2, vs. Jacksonville State (11/4/2023) *
Forced Fumble: 1, 3x, last at Texas (09/21/2024)
Fumble Recoveries: 1, at Texas (09/21/2024)
* Career-high set at South Carolina
