Jerrion Ealy

Jerrion Ealy has opted to forgo the Major League Baseball Draft and play football and baseball at Ole Miss. This was first reported by ESPN on Tuesday afternoon.

The ESPN report states that Ealy has informed Major League Baseball organizations that he intends to remain in Oxford to play football and baseball for the Rebels.

Ealy, who at one time was projected to be a first-round pick in this year's MLB Draft, was not selected through the first five rounds on Tuesday.

Ealy a two-sport star and highly-recruited running back out of Jackson (Miss.) signed a football scholarship to Ole Miss in February and also plans to play baseball for the Rebels as an outfielder. He moved into his dorm room on the Ole Miss campus on Sunday ahead of the MLB Draft.

With Ealy's early projections as a top baseball pick, there were plenty of concerns in Oxford that he would opt to sign a professional baseball contract and pursue that sport. Those concerns are now alleviated.

Ealy tweeted out "HYDR" (Hell yeah, damn right) earlier Tuesday, perhaps as a signal to where his thought process stood in terms of remaining on the Ole Miss campus.

Coupled with senior Scottie Phillips, he would likely give the Rebels one of the most potent 1-2 running back combinations in the SEC this fall.

"Mostly, I feel like it's made for me," Ealy said of the Rebels' offense in a previous interview with the Ole Miss Spirit. "It's a system where the back gets the ball a lot out of the backfield, and you can catch it out of the backfield, as well. It's a bunch of quick-hitting plays. It's meant for a home run guy, and I feel like that's my game."

HYDR!!!! — Jerrion Ealy (@ealy_1k) June 4, 2019

Ealy chose Ole Miss over offers from Clemson, Alabama and a host of other top Power 5 programs.

247Sports football scouting report on Ealy: Shorter but muscular player that has a powerful lower body and a sturdy top half. Sudden, explosive back that plays with a physical temperament and can pick his spots to be punishing. Outstanding feet, change of direction and balance at contact. Creative with the ball in his hands. Has shown plus pass-catching and route-running ability. Extremely productive, dominating poor competition. Has documented elite track numbers. High end major league baseball prospect. Though he has good strength for a smaller back, size limitations are there. Competition level clouds evaluation. Major impact offensive skill player at big-time program with second round NFL Draft upside.

MLB.com baseball scouting report on Ealy: The top two-sport athlete in the 2019 Draft, Ealy is a five-star running back recruit who led Jackson Prep (Flowood, Miss.) to four straight Mississippi 4-A state football championships. He's one of only four players to earn Under Armour All-America honors in baseball and football, joining Kyler Murray, A.J. Brown and Maurice Hampton (another top prep prospect in this class). He has committed to play both sports at Mississippi, and his multi-sport talents give him added leverage but also cloud his signability -- as does a disappointing spring at the plate.

Ealy needs to smooth out his right-handed stroke and has had trouble making quality contact against Mississippi high school pitching as a senior. He also had swing-and-miss issues on the showcase circuit last summer. He has impressive bat speed and packs plenty of strength in his compact frame, giving him at least 20-homer upside if he puts it all together at the plate.

Ealy can flash top-of-the-scale run times and already shows a knack for stealing bases. His quickness allows him to chase down balls in both gaps from center field, though his reads and routes need more work, and his strong arm will play anywhere in the outfield. His package of tools is similar to that of Murray, who signed with the A's for $4,660,000 as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 Draft before winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the No. 1 overall choice in the NFL Draft.