Buffalo transfer tight end Cam Ball eager for future at Mississippi State
Former Buffalo transfer tight end Cam Ball entered the transfer portal in early December and right away, he became a priority for Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff.
This past weekend, the Washington D.C., native took the Bulldogs up on their opportunity and committed to Mississippi State. In doing so, he will join his brother in Starkville next year, as well. On the same day Ball committed, so did his older brother and former Vanderbilt transfer tight end Justin Ball.
“It was just the way the coaches recruited me,” recalled the 6-foot-6 and 235-pound Ball, who officially signed on Wednesday. “They made me feel part of the family right away. It was a plus, too, that my brother is going there. Family is a big deal for us and Mississippi State made us feel part of the family from the start of my recruitment.”
Ball redshirted at Buffalo in 2022 before playing in all 12 games this past season as a redshirt freshman, leaving him with three years of eligibility. During his research of the Bulldogs and Lebby, he quickly noticed the way Lebby utilizes the tight ends in his offensive system.
“Coach Lebby uses the tight end a lot,” Ball noted. “I saw what his tight ends at Oklahoma did. They are not just running decoy routes but instead, they are a big part of the offense. So that was another big factor in my decision.”
Another factor for Ball was his relationship with Mississippi State tight ends coach Jon Cooper. And on the weekend of January 3rd, Ball will see Cooper and the rest of the staff in person via his official visit to State.
“Coach Cooper sounds like a great tight ends coach,” added Ball. “He has NFL experience and he is a great family guy. He is what I need to develop as a tight end. Overall, that whole staff made me feel at home and I am excited about my future there.”
This past season Ball totaled eight catches for 82 yards for Buffalo. Headed to the SEC now, he wants to use that game experience to his benefit.
“I just wanted to be on the field at the SEC level,” Ball mentioned. “I’ve been on the MAC and what matters to me is being on the field and producing. A big part of my development was getting on the field at 19 years old as a freshman. I thank the Buffalo coaches for trusting me and playing me against grown me. It let me know what I need to do to play at the highest level.”
As noted, being teammates with his brother at State is an added bonus and made his parents happy. And Ball expects nobody to push him harder than his older sibling.
“My parents are definitely happy to be able to go to just one place to see us play,” said Ball. “My brother has always pushed me to be the best player possible and it’s always like that. We do what we have to do to be better. I know he will push me to be better than any other veteran player can.”
