CAREER: He had 53 catches for 471 yards (8.9 avg.) with 6 TDs in his career. He had 31 career starts.
2011: The versatile and steady Ellison, equally proficient as a blocker and pass catcher, started for this third season as a senior in 2011, this time all year at fullback after playing tight end the previous 2 seasons. He also played on special teams. Overall in 2011 while appearing in all 12 games, he had 22 catches for 133 yards (6.0 avg.) with 2 TDs, had 1 carry for -5 yards (-5.0 avg.), made 1 tackle and blocked a field goal. He made the 2011 All-Pac-12 first team (as a special teams player). He won USC’s Leadership Award and Co-Lifter of the Year Award. He was a USC captain.
He had 3 catches for 22 yards against Minnesota, then 5 catches for 31 yards, with a 5-yard TD, against Syracuse. He had a 1-yard catch at Arizona State, a 2-yard reception against Arizona and then a 4-yard catch and lost 5 yards on a fake field goal run at California. He had a 2-yard catch at Notre Dame, 2 catches for 22 yards against Stanford and 2 catches for 10 yards and blocked a field goal at Colorado. He had 3 receptions for 23 yards and made a tackle at Oregon, then had 3 catches for 16 yards, with a 3-yard TD, against UCLA.
CAREER: He had 53 catches for 471 yards (8.9 avg.) with 6 TDs in his career. He had 31 career starts.
2011: The versatile and steady Ellison, equally proficient as a blocker and pass catcher, started for this third season as a senior in 2011, this time all year at fullback after playing tight end the previous 2 seasons. He also played on special teams. Overall in 2011 while appearing in all 12 games, he had 22 catches for 133 yards (6.0 avg.) with 2 TDs, had 1 carry for -5 yards (-5.0 avg.), made 1 tackle and blocked a field goal. He made the 2011 All-Pac-12 first team (as a special teams player). He won USC’s Leadership Award and Co-Lifter of the Year Award. He was a USC captain.
He had 3 catches for 22 yards against Minnesota, then 5 catches for 31 yards, with a 5-yard TD, against Syracuse. He had a 1-yard catch at Arizona State, a 2-yard reception against Arizona and then a 4-yard catch and lost 5 yards on a fake field goal run at California. He had a 2-yard catch at Notre Dame, 2 catches for 22 yards against Stanford and 2 catches for 10 yards and blocked a field goal at Colorado. He had 3 receptions for 23 yards and made a tackle at Oregon, then had 3 catches for 16 yards, with a 3-yard TD, against UCLA.
2010: Ellison started all season at tight end as a junior in 2010. Overall in 2010 while starting all 13 games, he had 21 catches for 239 yards (11.4 avg.) with 3 TDs and also made 3 tackles. He made 2010 All-Pac-10 honorable mention. He missed 2010 spring practice because of mononucleosis. He had 3 catches for 34 yards against Hawaii, including stretching out for a 6-yard TD. He had 3 receptions for 45 yards against Minnesota, then had a 29-yard reception against Washington State and a 4-yard grab against California. He added 2 catches for 26 yards against Oregon, then 3 receptions for 32 yards, including a 7-yard TD, against Arizona. He had a 10-yard catch and a tackle against Oregon State, then 5 receptions for 38 yards against Notre Dame and 2 grabs for 21 yards (with a 5-yard TD) at UCLA.
2009: Ellison served as the often-used backup tight end and played on special teams as a sophomore in 2009. Overall in 2009 while appearing in all 13 games, he had 6 catches for 41 yards (6.8 avg.) with 1 TD, plus made 4 tackles. He even started 4 games (Oregon, Arizona State, Stanford, Boston College). He caught a 4-yard touchdown against San Jose State, made 2 tackles at Ohio State, had 2 catches for 23 yards and made a tackle at Notre Dame, had a 4-yard catch and a tackle at Arizona State and had 2 receptions for 10 yards against Arizona.
2008: Ellison served as an often-used backup tight end as a redshirt freshman in 2008. Overall in 2008 while appearing in 9 games (all but Oregon, Arizona State, Washington State and Arizona), he had 4 receptions for 58 yards (14.5 avg.) and a tackle. He had 2 catches for 33 yards against Washington and had a 25-yard grab versus California. He even started the UCLA and Penn State games at fullback and split time between there and tight end in those games. He broke his right foot prior to the Oregon game and missed those next 4 contests while recuperating.
2007: Ellison redshirted as a freshman tight end in 2007, his first year at USC.
HIGH SCHOOL: His 2006 honors included 2006 Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best of the Rest, San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro honorable mention and San Jose Mercury News All-Area first team as a senior linebacker and tight end at St. Francis High in Mountain View (Calif.). He had 49 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception on defense and 31 receptions for 394 yards (12.7 avg.) with 2 TDs on offense in 2006.
As a junior in 2005, he made 27 tackles and 4 sacks, plus caught 26 passes for 301 yards (11.6 avg.) with 5 TDs.
PERSONAL: He received his bachelor’s degree in international relations at USC in the spring of 2011 and has begun work on his master’s degree in communication management. He has a B- average (2.76 GPA). His father, Riki (Gray) Ellison, lettered at linebacker for 4 seasons (1978-80, 1982) at USC, where he was a member of the 1978 national championship team and earned All-Conference honors in 1979, then played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers (1983-89), where he appeared in the 1985 and 1989 Super Bowls, and Los Angeles Raiders (1990-92). His sister, Wesley, played water polo at Michigan (2004-07).
