Stone Blanton
| No. 50 – San Francisco 49ers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 12, 2002 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Madison-Ridgeland (Madison, Mississippi) |
| College: | South Carolina (2022–2023) Mississippi State (2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Stone Blanton (born September 12, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Early life and high school
[edit]Blanton attended Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Madison, Mississippi. As a sophomore he totaled 99 tackles, five sacks and one pass break.[1] As a senior Blanton notched 125 tackles with 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.[2] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a four-star recruit and held offers from schools such as Auburn, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss Oregon, Stanford, and Texas A&M.[3] Initially, Blanton committed to play college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[4] However he eventually committed to play college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.[3]
College career
[edit]South Carolina
[edit]As a freshman in 2022, Blanton appeared in 12 games where he totaled seven tackles with a tackle and a half being for a loss.[5] In week 4 of the 2023 season, he notched four tackles and a forced fumble versus Mississippi State.[4] In week 11, Blanton returned an interception 88 yards for the game-sealing touchdown versus Jacksonville State.[6] During the 2023 season, he was a team captain for the Gamecocks, where he notched 52 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, an interception, and a touchdown.[7] After the season, Blanton entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[2]
Mississippi State
[edit]Blanton transferred to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[4] In week 13 of the 2024 season, he notched a season-high 18 tackles versus Missouri.[8] Blanton finished the 2024 season with 125 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.[8] After the season, he decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL draft.[8]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
30+1⁄8 in (0.77 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.36 s | 7.34 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
16 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
On May 12, 2025, Blanton signed an undrafted free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ Newsome, Langston. "2022 4-star LB Stone Blanton lists top 3: Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas A&M". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Bezjak, Lou. "Linebacker Stone Blanton, a South Carolina starter, enters transfer portal". The State. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Newsome, Langston. "Mississippi's top linebacker prospect, Madison-Ridgeland Academy's Stone Blanton, commits to South Carolina". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Krajisnik, Stefan. "South Carolina transfer LB Stone Blanton commits to Mississippi State football". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Connolly, Matt. "South Carolina LB transfer Stone Blanton commits to Mississippi State". On3.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Kaye, Jordan. "Why South Carolina LB Stone Blanton's game-saving pick-6 had nothing to do with luck". The State. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Faulk, Robbie. "Mississippi State LB Stone Blanton declares for NFL Draft". On3.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Rosenberg, Benjamin. "Mississippi State linebacker Stone Blanton declares for 2025 NFL Draft". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ "Stone Blanton RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "49ers Sign Linebacker Stone Blanton to a Three-Year Deal". 49ers.com. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2025.