Stone Blanton
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 12, 2002 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed 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 | |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Stone Blanton (born September 12, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Early life
[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] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts.[11] Blanton was re-signed to the practice squad on October 22.[12] He was released on November 4 and re-signed to the practice squad on November 19.[13][14] On November 26, Blanton was released after the team signed Eric Kendricks.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Newsome, Langston (July 21, 2021). "2022 4-star LB Stone Blanton lists top 3: Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas A&M". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 Bezjak, Lou (December 24, 2023). "Linebacker Stone Blanton, a South Carolina starter, enters transfer portal". The State. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 Newsome, Langston (December 13, 2021). "Mississippi's top linebacker prospect, Madison-Ridgeland Academy's Stone Blanton, commits to South Carolina". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Krajisnik, Stefan (January 5, 2024). "South Carolina transfer LB Stone Blanton commits to Mississippi State football". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ↑ Connolly, Matt (January 5, 2024). "South Carolina LB transfer Stone Blanton commits to Mississippi State". On3.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ↑ Kaye, Jordan (November 9, 2023). "Why South Carolina LB Stone Blanton's game-saving pick-6 had nothing to do with luck". The State. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ Faulk, Robbie (January 15, 2025). "Mississippi State LB Stone Blanton declares for NFL Draft". On3.com. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Rosenberg, Benjamin (January 16, 2025). "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.
- ↑ "49ers Release, Waive, and Make Roster Moves on a List of Players". 49ers.com. August 26, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ "San Francisco 49ers Announce a Series of Roster Moves". 49ers.com. October 22, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "49ers Sign Defensive Lineman, Release Linebacker". 49ers.com. November 5, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ "49ers Sign LB Blanton to Practice Squad". 49ers.com. November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ↑ "49ers Sign LB Eric Kendricks to the Practice Squad, Release LB Stone Blanton". 49ers.com. November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.