Honors
- All-MVFC (2020-21 second team, 2021 first team, 2022 second team)
- MVFC Defensive Player of the Week (2/27/21)
- MVFC Honor Roll (2017)
- Co-Captain (2020-21, 2021, 2022)
2022
Named to All-MVFC second team ... Bears co-captain ranked 2nd nationally and led MVFC in fumble recoveries (3) ... Led MSU in tackles for loss (9.0), QB hurries (7) and fumble recoveries (3) ... Finished season with 51 total stops, 18 solos, and 2.5 sacks ... Finished No. 4 all-time at Missouri State in tackles for loss (36.5) and No. 10 in carer sacks (20.0) ... Registered 7 tackles in win over UT Martin (9/8/22) with 2.0 TFL's, including a pair impactful third down stops ... Also had 7 stops at UNI (10/22/22) with a TFL ... Had 6 total tackles in career finale at Indiana State (11/19/22) with a fumble recovery ... Posted 6 total stops in season opener at UCA (9/1/22) with 0.5 tackles for loss ... Â Had 5 stops, 4 solos, a TFL, forced fumble and recovered fumble vs. No. 2 South Dakota St. (9/24/22) ... Racked up 5 stops vs. Southern Illinois (10/8/22) with a TFL and 2 QB hurries ... 2022 Preseason All-MVFC first team ... Phil Steele named Ellis to his MVFC second-team list.
2021
Named to All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first team as one of the league's top defensive lineman ... Ranked 3rd in the MVFC in sacks per game (0.67), 4th in fumble recoveries (3), 5th in tackles for loss (1.08) and 39th in total tackles (4.9) ... Was 41st nationally in sacks and 57th in tackles for loss ... Started all 12 games at defensive end ... Finished season with 59 total tackles, including 22 solos, 13.0 tackles for loss (57 yards), 6.0 sacks (44 yards) 7 QB hurries and 3 forced fumbles ... Posted season-high 10 tackles in win over South Dakota (9/25/21) with 4 solo stops, 3.0 sacks, a forced fumble and 2 QB hurries ... Produced 7 stops at Youngstown State (10/9/21) and vs. UNI (11/13/21) with 6 solo stops in win at Dixie State (11/20/21) that included 2 forced fumbles, 3 TFLs and 2.0 sacks in road win ... Credited with a QB hurry in 4 of the last 5 games ... His 5.5 tackles per game in league play ranked 32nd among Valley defenders.Â
2020-21
Bears co-captain earned All-MVFC second-team honors after posting a team-best 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks during his junior season ... Recorded 0.9 sacks per game and 1.20 tackles for loss per game in Valley games ... His 0.67 sacks per game overall ranked 3rd in the MVFC and 38th nationally ... Bears co-captain earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after win over Western Illinois (2/27/21) after he recorded a 30-yard interception return, forced a fumble, notched a pair of sacks and turned in 6 total tackles with season-high 5 solos ... Played in 9 games -- all starts -- at defensive end ... Recorded 6 tackles in season opener at No. 5 (FBS) Oklahoma (9/12/21) ... Recorded 2.5 sacks in win at No. 21 South Dakota (3/13/21) ... Posted 5 total tackles, 3 solos, a sack and a QB hurry in win over No. 10 ranked Southern Illinois (3/27/21) ... Led team with 3 credited hurries on the season.
2019
Played in all 11 games his sophomore season ... Started last 7 games of the campaign at left defensive end ... Led team in sacks (4.0) and sack yardage (44), was 4th in tackles for loss (6.5), and finished 9th on the squad in total tackles (38) and solo stops (17) ... Had season-high 7 tackles vs. South Dakota (10/12/19) at home with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a hurry, and a forced fumble ... Was in on 5 solo stops in win at Western Illinois (10/5/19), including a key sack in triple-overtime victory ... Brought down 4 ball carriers with a pair of solo stops vs. No. 1 North Dakota State (10/19/19) ... Recorded 4 tackles in each of the last 3 games of the season, including game at Southern Illinois (11/9/19) with a pair of solo tackles; at No. 7 Illinois State (11/16/19) with a sack; and vs. Indiana State (11/23/19) with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack ... Brought down 8 ball carriers with 3 solo stops in Maroon & White Spring Game (4/18/19).
2018
Played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman to earn his first letter ... Finished with 38 total tackles for the season with 21 solos ... Logged season-high 9 stops in home opener against Lincoln (9/6/18) with 6 solos and a tackle for loss ... Was in on 7 stops in season opener at Oklahoma State (8/30/18) with 6 solos ... Brought down 6 ball carriers vs. top-ranked North Dakota State at home (11/10/18) with 4 solo tackles ... Shared team-best distinction with 8 total tackles in Maroon and White Spring Game (4/19/18) with a pair of solo tackles and a fumble recovery.
2017
Redshirted his first season at Missouri State ... Earned MVFC Honor Roll laurels ... Named to MSU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for Fall 2017 semester.
High School
Was a three-year letterman as a linebacker, tight end and quarterback for coach Eugene Rogers at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, Texas ... He logged 79 total tackles as a senior for the Panthers, picking up honorable mention all-state recognition and a third-team nod for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s 2016 All-Area Super Team ... Also tallied 5 receptions for 205 yards from his tight end position in 2016.
Personal
Kevin Demetrius Ellis was born 11/9/98 in Meridian, Miss. ... Son of Kevin Sr. and Lakashia Ellis of Fort Worth, Texas ... Has a brother, Tyrek and two sisters, Kyra and Latonya ... Majoring in Professional Studies (graduate certificate).
