Running back Jerrion Ealy and defensive back Maurice Hampton, two 2019 football recruits, have decided to forgo the MLB draft and will pursue their college careers in football and baseball.
Both Ealy and Hampton were projected as potential high draft picks in this month’s MLB draft, but neither was selected in the first round on Monday.
Ealy told ESPN he has notified MLB organizations he plans to stay at Ole Miss, the team he signed with in this past recruiting class.
Hampton, who signed with LSU, has told the Tigers staff that he will be in Baton Rouge on Wednesday and is planning to stay at LSU rather than pursue an MLB career, according to a source.
Ealy was the No. 19-ranked prospect in the 2019 class and plans on playing both baseball and football at Ole Miss. As an outfielder, Ealy was projected as high as a top-10 pick in the MLB draft, but did not hear his name called in the first round.
His mother, Vanessa Simmons, told ESPN in January she would support her son’s decision no matter what it was, that it needed to be made by Ealy himself and no one else.
“You have to be real comfortable with yourself to give that up, but sometimes those millions might not be the best,” Simmons said. “Once you pay taxes, your agent fees, once you pay everybody, you have to live off of that money for the next two, three or four years, because as a baseball player, after that bonus it’s $1,100 a month. You have to think of your future — don’t just look at those dollar signs.”
Hampton, also an outfielder, was also projected as a potential first-round pick in the draft and was the No. 30 prospect in Keith Law’s pre-draft top 100, but he was not chosen. According to a source, he has also notified MLB teams of his decision, that he will stay at LSU and play football and baseball.
Hampton was the No. 107-ranked recruit and the No. 5 safety in the 2019 class.