Notable offers: Cal, Oregon, Baylor, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State (committed for baseball), Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Virginia
Rundown: Arizona is no stranger to offering versatile recruits and the newest multi-sport, multi-position athlete to pick up an offer from the Wildcats is Mississippi-based linebacker Stone Blanton. The 6-foot-3 2022 recruit plays on both sides of the ball plus he plays multiple sports as he also is part of his school's track team and baseball team. Blanton is an impressive recruit and that has already led to over a dozen offers on the table as he begins his junior season. Baseball is going to be an intriguing part of his recruitment and currently he is committed to in-state program Mississippi State as a a baseball player, but it has become clear that football is really what will determine where he ends up.
He has expressed an interest in potentially coming out west for college and with Arizona having a top-level baseball program it certainly will be an intriguing school in the overall picture for his recruitment. Oregon and Cal are two Pac-12 programs that have offered him up to this point in the process.
Blanton is an impressive recruit whose speed and playmaking ability shines on tape, He also could play receiver or running back, but his future is on the defensive side of the ball as an inside linebacker. That is where the Wildcats would use him and inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is going to be responsible for recruiting the high three-star prospect from Madison Ridgeland Academy in Jackson.
He has a knack for getting in the backfield to make plays and finished his junior season with more than 60 tackles to go along with 14.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3 prospect is an outfielder and right-handed pitcher on the baseball diamond. His speed is something that translates well to all the sports he plays.
"I play aggressive, hit people real hard, an on-field leader," he recently told Golden Bear Report. "Inside linebacker, that’s where I’ve played all my life, that’s where I feel comfortable, I feel comfortable in the open field too. Sometimes in our defense I have to ‘boss out,’ that’s what we call it, I’ll go to the field, play a little bit on the receivers and play my edge."
It is still early in the process and he will have a lot of things to consider as he eventually makes his final decision down the line with more than one sport in play. So, for now he is focused on finding the right type of fit. Something that could end up becoming crucial is how soon he will be able to get on the field and that is something Arizona can certainly sell him on as an inside linebacker with the Wildcats lacking depth at the position.
"A family aspect where I can trust them, they can trust me," he said about what he's looking for in a college program. "I’m willing to work hard, where I can earn a starting spot, just kinda get to the top."
