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Today we feature another player who took advantage of the new redshirt rules to gain a small amount of experience in 2018.
Elijah Ball - Fr. (RS)
Indianapolis, IN (Ben Davis HS)
6’1”, 210 pounds
Defensive Back
2019 Projection: Contributor at Defensive Back
If this year is all about finding depth for a defense that had none last year, Ball will play a role there. Last season he played in just two games, getting a single tackle against Illinois. This allowed him to preserve his redshirt and prepare for this season.
And Ball is a promising prospect. He played on the defense of one of the best teams in state history when Ben Davis went 14-0 in 2017 and won Indiana’s Class 6A state title. The Ben Davis offense blew everyone out of the water by scoring 40 or more in 11 of 14 games, while the defense gave up more than 20 only twice. The closest game for Ben Davis was a 36-29 sectional final win over Warren Central, and this was after the Giants won the regular season game 45-16. Three of their five tournament games were even regular season rematches.
Ball will play a larger role this year likely as a nickel corner.