When Eric House was a head coach at Amanda Elzy High School, he had the opportunity to coach a guy with the skills and determination to make it to the NFL.
At 5-foot-11 and near 200 pounds, Jermaine Whitehead had all the intangibles to make a fantastic strong safety on any team. After being coached by House, Whitehead went on to play at Auburn and then was signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. Whitehead was the only player House had coached who had a real shot at making it to the league until House became the head coach of Leflore County High School — and he saw a young prospect named Dante Kelly.
Kelly, now a senior, has attributes similar to Whitehead’s. Kelly is a little taller, 6-foot-3, but both players are great in the strong safety position, and House couldn’t help but see the similarities.
“When he entered ninth grade, he was really fast. He had incredible size, speed and length,” House said. “After coaching Whitehead, I saw that Kelly had some of those same characteristics that made him great at the strong safety position. And Kelly is perfect for the position because you have to be a good run defender and a good pass defender, and he does both really well.”
Kelly’s skill set allows him to succeed in a variety of roles on the football field. During his time at Leflore, he has played running back, wide receiver and linebacker and has even taken some snaps at quarterback. But no matter where House decides to play him, Kelly just has a love for strong safety.
“Strong safety was my first position,” Kelly said. “I feel like I’m really versatile, and I love to play the position. I can come down and hit, and I can catch. I can do everything that’s required by the position.”
In fact, some of Kelly’s favorite players in the NFL are strong safeties.
“I love to watch Derwin James (current strong safety for the Los Angeles Chargers) and Kam Chancellor (former strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks and vital member of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning defense nicknamed the Legion of Boom), but my favorite player is Karl Joseph (current strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers),” Kelly said. “I draw a lot of inspiration from him.”
Kelly not only is good at football but plays basketball and runs track as well. He picked up track in 2020 and was the North 2A 200-meter champion.
“I like running because I’m fast, and I like to win,” said Kelly, who is listed by 247Sports as a three-star football prospect. “When I’m running, I feel happy when I’m doing it. When you’re fast, it’s fun, and I’m the fastest on the team by a mile. You can ask anyone.”
During his downtime, if he’s not watching film or studying his favorite players’ games, Kelly is playing video games with friends. Some of his favorite video games are Madden, NBA 2K, Call of Duty and fighting games such as Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat.
Kelly said he is unbeatable in Injustice 2 when he plays Batman. “I know all the combos,” he said, smiling.
Next year, Kelly will further his football career and stay in state by donning the maroon and white of Mississippi State. He got recognition from some Bulldog coaches at a Mississippi State camp called Top Dawg, and soon afterward he was hearing from the coaches — something that House knew was bound to happen.
“When he first entered eighth grade, we talked to some SEC coaches about him,” House said. “Finally, he was a junior, and Mississippi State decided to come see if he was really 6-foot-3, 200 pounds — and he was. They came to see and invited him to camp, and he committed about a month later.”
Kelly was excited to receive that recognition.
“It’s amazing. I went crazy at the camp, and then they started texting me, then they called me and my mom,” Kelly said. “They were asking me if I was ready to be a Bulldog. I got on the phone with (recruitment and nickelbacks coach) Tony Hughes, and I committed.”
Before Kelly takes his talents to Starkville, he wants to help bring Leflore its first state title. Last year, the Tigers made it all the way to the state championship game but fell short in a 72-24 loss to Scott Central.
“Those championship aspirations are still on my mind, most definitely,” Kelly said. “That’s our whole goal this season — to go back and try to win this time.”
As much as House really wants to win a state title at Leflore — which is quite a lot — more than that, he just wants to see Kelly succeed not only in football but in life.
“He’s just an all-around great kid to coach,” House said of Kelly. “His personality stands out. He’s a great leader, and he’s going to be an NFL talent one day. I just hope he stays injury-free and is able to enjoy every moment in his college career and he stays successful in whatever he chooses to do after college.”
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
