Bruce Ellington (born August 22, 1991) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
wide receiver. He played
college football at
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and was drafted by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in the fourth round of the
2014 NFL Draft.
High school career
In high school, Ellington played both basketball and American
football at
Moncks Corner (SC) Berkeley located in
Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-S ...
. Ellington attended the same high school as his cousin,
Andre Ellington
Andre DeAngelo Ellington (born February 3, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
High school career
Ellingto ...
. In 2009, Ellington played quarterback and led the Stags to the Division II-AAAA state championship in 2009 as a quarterback for head coach Jerry Brown. In the 2009 state championship game, Ellington rushed for four touchdowns. Ellington was a finalist for South Carolina's "Mr. Football" as well. On the hardwood as a senior, Ellington averaged 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists per game and was named the South Carolina Coaches Association 4A Player of the Year, the Region 7-4A Player of the Year, and the Post and Courier Athlete of the Year. Ellington was a McDonald's All-America nominee following his senior season. As a basketball recruit, Ellington was rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN (93 overall rating) and a four-star recruit by Rivals (24th-ranked point guard and 96th-ranked player overall). As a football recruit, ESPN rated Ellington as a four-star recruit as well and listed him as an athlete.
College career
Ellington played both basketball and American football at the
University of South Carolina. After playing only basketball in the 2010 season, he joined the football team in 2011 and played both sports throughout his college career. As a football player, he had 106 career receptions for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a basketball player, he averaged 11.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, three assists, and one steal per game.
Ellington announced on January 3, 2014, that he would forgo his senior season and enter the
2014 NFL Draft. Although Ellington would forgo his senior season, he was still able to graduate with a degree in sociology during the 3 and 1/2 years that he was at the
University of South Carolina.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
The
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
selected Ellington in the fourth round (106th overall) of the
2014 NFL Draft. He was the 17th wide receiver selected in 2014.
On May 27, 2014, the San Francisco 49ers signed Ellington to a four-year, $2.69 million contract that includes a
signing bonus of $474,428.
He caught his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from quarterback
Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Williamson Gabbert (born October 15, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri before leaving early for the 2011 NFL Draft after hi ...
against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
. On December 20, 2014, Ellington had two touchdowns against the
San Diego Chargers, an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
and a one-yard touchdown run, giving him three touchdowns in his rookie season.
In the 2015 season, Ellington finished with 13 receptions for 153 receiving yards in 13 games.
The 49ers placed him on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury on August 30, 2016.
On August 3, 2017, Ellington was waived by the 49ers.
New York Jets
On August 3, 2017, Ellington was claimed off waivers by the
New York Jets. He was waived on August 5, 2017, after failing his physical.
Houston Texans
On August 11, 2017, Ellington signed with the
Houston Texans.
On September 10, Ellington made his Texans debut in a 29–7 loss to the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on December 5, 2017. In 11 games with the Texans, Ellington had 29 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
On March 14, 2018, Ellington signed a one-year contract to remain with the Texans. He was placed on injured reserve on September 25, 2018, with a hamstring injury. On October 31, he was released.
Detroit Lions
On November 6, 2018, Ellington was signed by the
Detroit Lions. He was placed on injured reserve on December 22, 2018. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 31 receptions for 224 yards and one touchdown. On February 15, 2019, Ellington was released by the Lions.
New England Patriots
On March 14, 2019, Ellington signed a one-year contract with the
New England Patriots. He was released on May 8, 2019, with an injury designation.
Personal life
His cousin
Andre Ellington
Andre DeAngelo Ellington (born February 3, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
High school career
Ellingto ...
is a former
NFL running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
. The two were teammates on the
2017 Texans.
References
External links
South Carolina Gamecocks football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellington, Bruce
1991 births
Living people
People from Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
Basketball players from South Carolina
Point guards
American football wide receivers
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball players
San Francisco 49ers players
New York Jets players
Houston Texans players
Detroit Lions players
New England Patriots players
American men's basketball players