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Jacksonville athlete comes from notable SEC family tree

Razorbacks first to offer sophomore athlete Mason Ball after breakout 2024 season
Jacob Davis|
Class of 2027 Jacksonville High School athlete Mason Ball competes during practice at Jacksonville High School this spring.
Class of 2027 Jacksonville High School athlete Mason Ball competes during practice at Jacksonville High School this spring. | Mason Ball - X

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Arkansas RazorbacksOle Miss Rebels

LITTLE ROCK — Jacksonville sophomore athlete Mason Ball comes from a notable SEC trailblazer and appears to be following in those footsteps as a major Division I prospect.

His grandfather, Coolidge, was originally headed to New Mexico State on a basketball scholarship to play for future Ole Miss coaches Rob Evans and Ed Murphy before signing with the Rebels in 1970. When Ball signed with Ole Miss, he became the first African-American student athlete to be offered a scholarship there in any sport. 

Because the NCAA didn't allow freshman to play back then, Collidge only got three seasons on the hardcourt. However, because of how historic they were in nature, he was inducted into the SEC Basketball Legends class in 2005 and was honored at the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

With such giant footsteps to follow, the younger Ball lets his grandfather’s achievements be what he strives for as an athlete. 

“My grandfather was the first black student athlete at Ole Miss to receive a scholarship,” Ball said. “Every time I’m at Ole Miss, to see his statue just reminds me of what I’m capable of achieving.”

He began playing football at an early age. While it was easy for him, Ball continues to work hard each day for improvement. 

“As a player I will always have respect for the game, football is a lifestyle to me,” Ball said. “I started playing football when I was just five so I have a lot of experience already and since have always wanted to improve.”

He has received plenty of attention from schools across the SEC landscape which includes his only power conference offer from Arkansas. The 6-foot-1, 185 pound prospect has heard from other FBS programs like Western Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt and Missouri. 

Ball is a versatile athlete with the ability to find rushing lanes in tight windows. Even as he fought through an injury plagued sophomore season in 2024, he amassed 1,000 in all-purpose yardage.

He tells Hogs on SI that his current 40-yard dash speed is clocked at 4.46 seconds while his laser time is 4.5 seconds.

Despite having an enrollment north of 6,000 students, Jacksonville has not historically produced many power conference prospects. The most notable in the past decade is Tyas Martin from the 2021 class who signed with Colorado over offers from Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Kansas. 

The only other major college prospect is defensive lineman Clinton McDonald from the 2005 class. He signed with Memphis before being drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, playing eight seasons with the Bengals, Seahawks and Buccaneers. 

Instead, the area is known for having produced Arkansas Razorbacks basketball star Davonte Davis who produced so many memorable moments during the Eric Musselman era. While he won't be on the hard court like his grandfather, Ball looks to bring another round of recognition for the central Arkansas town.

This time it will be on grass.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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