Career Highs
Tackles: 15 (2x) last vs. Mississippi State (11/21/15)
Tackles For Loss: 3.0 at No. 15 TCU (9/10/16)
Sacks: 1.5 vs. Kansas State (1/2/16)
Forced Fumbles: 1 (2x) last vs. Texas (12/29/14)
Interceptions: 1 (4x) last at No. 15 TCU (9/10/16)
Career (2013-16)
Played in 49 games with 41 starts … Served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons … Closed out career with 31 straight starts … Totaled 290 tackles, including 22.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 13 pass breakups … Also had four interceptions, returning one 47 yards for a touchdown … Led the team in tackles nine times … Recorded double-digit tackles seven times … Tallied at least five tackles 32 times … First two-time Academic All-American in program history … 20th football Academic All-American in school history dating back to 1955 … Only student-athlete from the SEC to be selected to the Academic All-America first team in 2016 … Four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member … Selected from a pool of 156 exceptional semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA as a National Scholar-Athlete and one of 12 finalists for the 2016 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is considered by many to be the “Academic Heisman,” recognizing an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation … Received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class in New York City at the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner … Only student-athlete in the SEC in 2016 and the fourth Arkansas football student-athlete to be selected as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete since 1978.
Senior (2016)
» William V. Campbell Trophy finalist (Nov. 1)
» Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist (Nov. 3)
» CoSIDA Academic All-District (Nov. 3)
» East-West Shrine Game Invitation (Nov. 28)
» SEC Community Service Team (Nov. 30)
» CoSIDA Academic All-America first team (Dec. 1)
» SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Dec. 7)
» NFL Scouting Combine Invitation
Started all 13 games and led the team in tackles for the second consecutive season … Finished with 83 tackles, which ranked 12th in the SEC … Collected 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.0, five pass breakups and three quarterback hurries … Returned one interception for a TD … Logged 48 tackles in SEC contests … Paced the team in tackles in five games … Tallied at least five tackles in nine games, including 6 of 8 conference contests … Racked up 26 tackles, including 4.0 for loss over the first three games … Recorded at least one-half tackle for loss in each of the last four regular-season games … 7.0 tackles for loss ranked second on the team … vs. Louisiana Tech (Sept. 3): Opened the season with a six-tackle effort … at No. 15 TCU (Sept. 10): Led the team with 13 tackles, recorded career-high 3.0 tackles for loss, and gave Arkansas a 13-0 lead at TCU in the second quarter when he took his third career interception 47 yards for a touchdown … 13 tackles equaled the most by an SEC player on the weekend … Registered at least one tackle during eight of TCU’s first nine drives and 10 of 15 for the game, including the overtimes … Made eight tackles in the second half and overtime periods … vs. Texas State (Sept. 17): Made team-high seven tackles (4 solo), including 1.0 for loss … Broke up one pass … vs. No. 1 Alabama (Oct. 8): Led the team with eight tackles and broke up his third pass in four games … Five of his eight stops came in the first half … vs. No. 12 Ole Miss (Oct. 15): Tied for the team lead with nine tackles … Added a quarterback hurry … at Mississippi State (Nov. 18): Notched six tackles, including 1.0 for an 8-yard loss during the first quarter … at Missouri (Nov. 25): Recorded one sack for a 21-yard loss in the second quarter and posted three solo tackles.
Preseason
» Butkus Award Watch List
» Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
» Athlon All-SEC third team
» Phil Steele All-SEC third team
» Phil Steele No. 17 inside linebacker in the nation
» Sporting News SEC Top Scholar
Junior (2015)
Preseason
» Butkus Award Watch List
» Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
Regular Season
» CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American
» CoSIDA Academic All-District
Started all 13 games to run his streak to 18 straight … Eclipsed the 100-tackle mark in a season for the first time of his career … Led the team with 102 tackles, which tied for ninth in the SEC … 67 of 102 tackles came against SEC opponents, highlighted by a pair of double figure performances … Averaged 7.85 tackles per game, which tied for 10th in the SEC … Led the team in tackles four times … Tied for second on the team in tackles for loss with 8.0 … Added 1.5 sacks … Had 8+ tackles six times, highlighted by three double-digit tackle efforts … One of two SEC defenders to log 15+ tackles in a conference game twice … Combined for 150 tackles with Dre Greenlaw over the last nine games … The duo of Ellis and Greenlaw finished as one of six pairs of teammates to rank in the SEC’s top 20 in total tackles … vs. Texas Tech (Sept. 19): Equaled a career-high and led the team with 12 tackles, including six solo … at No. 8 Alabama (Oct. 10): Set career-bests with 13 solo tackles, 15 total stops and 2.5 tackles for a loss as Arkansas limited Alabama to its second-lowest rushing total of the year … vs. UT Martin (Oct. 31): Collected his third career interception along with eight tackles … at No. 9 LSU (Nov. 14): Made six stops with a half-sack and recovered a fumble that helped Arkansas take a 21-0 lead … vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 21): Became the second player in the SEC to register 15 tackles in a conference game twice in 2015 … vs. Missouri (Nov. 27): Led Arkansas in tackles (6) for the second straight game and third time in SEC action.
Sophomore (2014)
Started and participated in 11 games, missing only the Georgia and UAB contests due to injury … Posted 72 tackles, 5.5 for a loss and 0.5 sacks … Ranked second on the team in tackles with 72 … Tied for a team-leading two interceptions and posted the second-most pass breakups for a non-defensive back (5) … Forced two fumbles … at No. 6 Auburn (Aug. 30): Collected eight tackles, including a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss … at Texas Tech (Sept. 13): Registered eight tackles, broke-up a career-high four passes and forced a fumble in the non-conference road win … vs. No. 7 Alabama (Oct. 11): Posted eight tackles, six solo and a quarterback hurry … at No. 1 Mississippi State (Nov. 1): Returned to action after missing two games due to injury, recording a career-high 12 tackles and notched his first career interception … vs. No. 8 Ole Miss (Nov. 14): Registered six tackles and collected his second interception of the season in the Razorbacks’ 30-0 shutout.
Freshman (2013)
Saw action in all 12 games and started the last four games as a true freshman … Totaled 33 tackles, 2.0 for loss, with 0.5 sack, and one pass breakup … vs. Southern Miss (Sept. 14): Tallied first career tackle in the 24-3 win … vs. No. 8 Auburn (Nov. 2): Made first career start and registered six tackles, including 0.5 for loss with 0.5 sack … at Ole Miss (Nov. 9): Had a career-high 11 tackles and one pass breakup … vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 23): Made three tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss … at No. 15 LSU (Nov. 29): Ended season with 10 tackles, including 1.0 for loss.
High School
Helped lead Fayetteville High School to back-to-back 7A state championships in his last two years and was named the state’s Defensive Player of the Year in each … Ranked as the No. 4 player in Arkansas by Rivals and 247Sports, and was rated 24th in the country at his position by 247Sports and 42nd by Rivals … Named to the all-state team as a senior despite missing the first two games after he registered 114 tackles, 16.0 for loss with 4.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery on the way to the state title … Following his junior season, he was also named the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s 7A Player of the Year after recording 86 tackles, 22.5 for loss with 13.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups at linebacker as the Bulldogs finished 12-2 and won the state title … As a sophomore, he recorded 87 tackles, 43 assists, five tackles for loss, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles as a safety for the Class 7A state runners-up … Named the 2010 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sophomore Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore … He served as student body treasurer at Fayetteville and also was a member of FCA and the National Honor Society … Coached by Daryl Patton … Chose Arkansas over multiple other offers.
Personal
Born on Jan. 15, 1995 … Son of Kelly and Shelley Ellis … Late grandfather, David Lashley, was a letterwinner on the offensive and defensive line at Arkansas from 1951-53 … Pre-professional exercise science major with a minor in biology … Traveled to Belize with biology classmates during the summer prior to his senior season … Two-time Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree (2014, 15) after making the 2013-14 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
