Dan Ellington, a star for the Mustangs when he played at Center Hill High School, will be back in the 901 tonight when Georgia State takes on Memphis. The game, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, will air on ESPN.

Ellington, who graduated from CHHS in 2016, is the starting quarterback for the Panthers. He was also a JUCO All-American Quarterback when he played for Itawamba Community College.

Ellington’s work ethic has always set him apart, Mustangs head football coach Alan Peacock said.

“He would do things that other players wouldn’t do,” Peacock said. “He looked special in the eighth grade and you just knew he would be something special one day. With me being a quarterbacks coach at the time, it’s really special to see a guy like him go on to play Division I college football.”

At 6 feet 3 inches and 205 pounds, “he is the best football player that I’ve ever coached,” Peacock said. “He has eyes in the back of the head in getting away from defenders.”

The alumnus left his mark on Center Hill in other ways, counselor Danielle Brown said.

“He has a very charismatic personality and is just a funny person,” she said. “When you meet him, it already seems like you’ve known him for a long time.”

Brown was interviewed Thursday by ESPN outside the Mustangs stadium for a segment about Ellington that could air during tonight’s game.

“Much love for Mama Brown,” Ellington tweeted in response to social media posts about the interview.

The nickname dates to Ellington’s 10th-grade year of high school.

“We really got close his sophomore year when Coach Peacock told me that we needed to start practicing for the ACT,” said Brown, whose goal is to see Ellington obtain a college degree. “It’s cool to see our kids live their dreams, even after so many people told him that he would never make it.”

The game will be tonight at 6 on ESPN. According to georgiastatesports.com, this is Georgia State’s first ever appearance on ESPN, although the Panthers have played numerous times on other ESPN networks.