Awards and Honors:
2021 HERO Sports Sophomore All-America
2021 Second Team All-OVC
2021 OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
2021 Preseason All-OVC
2020-21 STATS Perform Jerry Rice Award Finalist (6th)
2020-21 OVC All-Newcomer Team
2020-21 OVC Co-Freshman of the Year
OVC Offensive Player of the Week: March 16, March 23 (2020-21); Sept. 19, Nov. 7, Nov. 14 (2021)
OVC Newcomer of the Week: Feb. 23, March 16, March 23, April 6 (2020-21)
STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week: March 15, 2021
OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2020-21)
Dean's List (S21)
Athletic Director's Honor Roll (F20, S22)
2021 (Sophomore): Followed his 2020-21 OVC Co-Freshman of the Year season with a successful sophomore campaign that saw him earn Second Team All-OVC and HERO Sports Sophomore All-America honors… Led the OVC in passing touchdowns (19), passing yards (2,625), yards per completion (13.7) and total offense per game (268.5)… Completed 192-of-254 passes, adding 67 yards and a score on the ground across 10 games and eight starts… Kicked off the season with first of three 300-plus yard passing performances with a 322-yard, four-touchdown game at Chattanooga (Sept. 2)… Went 22-of-40 for 226 yards and a score through the air with no interceptions against Ole Miss (Sept. 11)… Had a career-high 350 passing yards and three touchdowns against Morehead State (Sept. 18), adding 30 yards on the ground… Threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 6)… Had two passing touchdowns, adding another on the ground, in the rematch at Tennessee State (Nov. 13)… Enjoyed season’s best game in the finale against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 20), going 16-of-27 through the air for 345 yards, four touchdowns and 31 yards on the ground… Over the final three games of the season, went 45-of-81 (55 completion percentage) for 917 passing yards (305.67 yards per game) and nine touchdowns with no turnovers during that span.
2020-2021 (Freshman): Named OVC Co-Freshman of the Year after starting all six games during the spring… Became the second Governor in program history to take home the conference’s top freshman honor (Jeremiah Oatsvall, 2017)… Completed 104-of-201 passes for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground… Won OVC Newcomer of the Week four times, while also being named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice… Named the STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week following a program-record six-touchdown performance against Southeast Missouri (March 14)… Became the first player in conference history to repeat as OVC Offensive Player and Newcomer of Week in back-to-back weeks after a season-high 305 yards and four touchdowns against UT Martin (March 21)… Following the season, became the first Governor named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which recognizes the FCS’ National Freshman Player of the Year… His 123.82 passing efficiency ranks seventh all-time in a single season, while his 14 touchdown passes rank sixth.
High School: A quarterback for head coach Chester Flowers at Kirby High School… Named to 2019 Tennessee East-West All-Star Classic Football Game… Selected to Region 8 5A All-Region Team… Finished senior season with 2300 yards and 25 touchdowns at quarterback while also rushing for three touchdowns and catching another… Rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports.
Personal: Draylen Ja’Marion Ellis is the son of James Ellis and Toya Dockery… Birthday is April 2… Has a brother, Stefan… A K-12 teaching major with a minor in professional education.
