Tony Ellison didn鈥檛 get a ton of opportunities as a wide receiver in his first three seasons with the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats. Injuries derailed him at times. Established veterans superseded him on the depth chart.
Competitor that he is, being relegated primarily to special-teams duty frustrated Ellison. But he never doubted that he had come to the right place.
蜜柚直播 had shown loyalty to him once before; Ellison would reciprocate. Their faith in each other is starting to pay dividends.
Ellison, now a redshirt junior, leads the Wildcats in receiving yards (182) and receiving touchdowns (two) through four games. He ranks second on the team in catches (14). He is becoming the player his coaches and teammates always thought he could become.
鈥淚鈥檝e said it before: He鈥檇 probably be the one guy that people hadn鈥檛 really talked about that could have a breakout year,鈥 said UA coach Rich Rodriguez, whose team is off this weekend before visiting Colorado next Saturday. 鈥淏ecause he鈥檚 practiced like that and worked like that.鈥
People are also reading…
Coaches and teammates have raved about Ellison鈥檚 practice habits and work ethic for years. It just didn鈥檛 translate into in-game production until this year.
The departures of seniors Samajie Grant, Trey Griffey and Nate Phillips created a void at wide receiver. Ellison is among the veterans who have stepped up to fill it.
鈥淭he biggest thing with Tony is he鈥檚 getting an opportunity,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 healthy, and he鈥檚 getting a chance.鈥
蜜柚直播 took a chance of sorts on Ellison while recruiting him out of Granite Bay (California) High.
Four games into his senior season with the Grizzlies, Ellison tore his ACL. Although he had committed to 蜜柚直播 the previous summer, Ellison also drew interest from Cal. The school intrigued him; family members had gone to Berkeley, which is about 100 miles southwest of Granite Bay.
But as Ellison tells it, Cal stopped talking to him after he blew out his knee. 蜜柚直播 stuck with him at a time when he feared he might 鈥渓ose it all.鈥
鈥淭hese guys kept my scholarship,鈥 Ellison said. 鈥淚t was a big deal. I鈥檒l always appreciate them for that.鈥
Ellison redshirted as a freshman in 2014. He spent that year rehabbing his knee, getting stronger (Ellison, who鈥檚 5-11, said he weighed 150 pounds when he arrived; he鈥檚 now listed at 188) and learning the finer points of playing receiver.
Ellison often would be the motion man in Granite Bay鈥檚 offense, taking the ball on fly sweeps or bubble screens; he had relatively little experience as a downfield pass catcher.
But Ellison had speed (he was a sprinter for the Grizzlies track team) and hand-eye coordination from playing his favorite sport, basketball. He also had a strong desire to improve. It didn鈥檛 take first-year receivers coach Theron Aych long to figure that out.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not a flash-in-the-pan kind of guy,鈥 Aych said. 鈥淗e comes out, he busts his butt every day, he doesn鈥檛 say anything, he just gets his job done.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy that I鈥檇 like a lot of guys in our room to continue to emulate.鈥
Aych described Ellison as a film junkie. Sometimes they鈥檒l watch cutups together. Sometimes Ellison will do it alone.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what really sets him apart,鈥 Aych said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a bunch of talented guys, but what are you going to do to make yourself and the team better?鈥
Ellison mainly works out of the slot, where he can utilize his quickness, craftiness and toughness. Slot receivers generally don鈥檛 face jams at the line of scrimmage. But they often work in congested areas against bigger players.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e gotta be a little tough and a little bit crazy,鈥 Aych said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going across the middle a lot. He鈥檚 always in traffic.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e gotta have a guy that has a little savvy about him, and that鈥檚 what Tony鈥檚 built on. He鈥檚 very productive because he understands and has a good feel for the game.鈥
Ellison and quarterback Brandon Dawkins were part of the same signing class, and the two have had a bond ever since. They played against each other in high school and have spent countless hours together on the practice field.
鈥淓very offseason I always tell you guys: Tony Ellison, he鈥檚 working his tail off,鈥 Dawkins said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 in my ear a lot; that helps me out. He鈥檒l tell me what he鈥檚 thinking on a play. I鈥檒l let him know what I鈥檓 thinking.鈥
During practice this week, Ellison gave Dawkins what the quarterback termed 鈥渁 suggestion.鈥 They hooked up for a touchdown on the play.
Against Utah last week, Ellison had a career-high six receptions for 78 yards and a TD. He and Dawkins connected for 24 yards on third-and-6 in the second quarter, a play that led to 蜜柚直播鈥檚 first touchdown. Dawkins鈥 30-yard strike to Ellison with 2:44 left in the fourth brought the Wildcats within six points.
But 蜜柚直播 couldn鈥檛 close that gap. The Wildcats lost two weeks earlier to Houston as well. They are 2-2 entering the Colorado game.
Yes, Ellison is in the midst of a 鈥渂reakout鈥 campaign. He chooses another word that starts with 鈥渂鈥 to describe the season to date.
鈥淚t鈥檚 bittersweet,鈥 Ellison said. 鈥淚 want to win games, too. It鈥檚 nice to have individual success, but team success is way more important to me.鈥
Extra points
- Chris Hayes, the father of UA sophomore safety Isaiah Hayes, tweeted late Thursday night that his son had successful surgery. Hayes has been out all season because of a shoulder injury. Rodriguez indicated earlier in the week that Hayes was unlikely to play this year.
- Rodriguez attended the Cienega-Salpointe Catholic game on Thursday night. The Bobcats鈥 star quarterback, Jamarye Joiner, is committed to 蜜柚直播.
