Top College Football Players Who Could've Been in the NCAA Tournament
March Madness is in full swing, and there's a handful of college football players—or, in some cases, former college players readying for the NFL—who could have been a factor on the hardwood rather than the gridiron.
Believe it or not, two pairs of teammates made this list, and a few others received consideration but fell just short.
Once they made their decision to put on the pads, they left those hoop dreams in the rearview mirror, but that doesn't mean they've lost their skills, even if they didn't follow through.
The days of the two-sport stars like Deion Sanders (who is now in college football himself), Bo Jackson, Charlie Ward, Danny Ainge and Tony Gonzalez are mostly in the past with such specialized skills these days. But that doesn't keep us from thinking about just who could be a difference-maker if they were getting ready for their one shining moment.
Here are a few college footballers who were good enough to lace 'em up on the hardwood.
Maliq Carr, Houston Tight End
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It may be tough to fathom, but the first two players on this list were once college football (and basketball) teammates for the Michigan State Spartans as freshmen.
Now, neither is playing in East Lansing, and neither is shooting at hoops that matter anymore, but that doesn't mean they lost their ability to ball. They both have NFL aspirations, and one of them is sure to hear his name called early in this year's draft.
The first of these is tight end Maliq Carr, who has immense potential and finally began putting things together in 2023. After playing under Mel Tucker, Carr didn't hang around for the beginning of the Jonathan Smith era. Instead, he's off to the Big 12 to play for Willie Fritz's program at Houston.
With another year building off last season, the athletic, 6'5", 260-pound pass-catcher will be a commodity in the next NFL draft. After one season playing for Tom Izzo's Spartans basketball team following a transfer from Purdue, Carr quit to focus on football. It seems like the right call.
It couldn't have been easy coming from a basketball family. His mother, Peggy Evans, played for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 1990 to '93, helping the Lady Vols to a national championship in 1991. His father, Cornell Mann, is Grand Valley State's head coach and played college ball at Akron and Colorado.
After 25 catches for 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first three years, Carr broke out last year with 30 grabs for 352 yards and three scores. Now, he will try to show out for the Cougars for a season before going pro.
Keon Coleman, Florida State Wide Receiver
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One of the top receivers in the upcoming NFL draft is former Florida State star Keon Coleman, who headed to Tallahassee after a productive start to his career at Michigan State.
Like Carr, he played for Tom Izzo in East Lansing. Also like Carr, he wasn't much of a factor in the Breslin Center. But in football, he found a home. Now, he's going to make millions.
You may ask why he's on this list since he's out of college football, but remember, he just finished playing in 2023, so he would still be eligible during this basketball season.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Coleman was back in East Lansing sporting a Steven Izzo jersey courtside on the Spartans' Senior Night.
The Louisiana native who was a two-sport star coming out of high school enjoyed a terrific final season of college football last year in helping the 'Noles to an unbeaten regular season and an ACC title, finishing with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also wound up with 300 punt return yards on 25 attempts.
Coleman is an explosive athlete who was good enough in both sports to make a perennial NCAA tournament team, and even though he quickly found out where his millions would be made, he's more than worthy of this list.
Corey Dyches, (Former) Maryland Tight End
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When he played for Maryland, tight end Corey Dyches was one of Taulia Tagovailoa's top targets, enjoying a standout career.
He decided to enter the transfer portal after last year, however, and there aren't any reports that he has chosen a program yet. While that may seem odd, he should have plenty of suitors and will be a hot commodity, as long as he remains uncommitted.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently listed Dyches third among top players remaining in the transfer portal.
Here's why: Last year, Dyches totaled 49 receptions, which led Big Ten tight ends and was fourth for the position in the FBS. Those catches went for 491 yards, and the Oxon Hill, Maryland, native has 107 career receptions for 1,193 yards and nine scores.
Since he hasn't made a decision, it's possible he just returns as a Terrapin in '24. That would be big news for coach Mike Locksley, who has done a tremendous job keeping area kids home. Dyches is one who played nearby at Potomac High in Prince George's County.
Dyches was a first-team All-Met member in basketball in an area that featured players like Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, Michigan's Terrance Williams II and the Duke tandem of Trevor Keels and Jeremy Roach.
According to the Washington Post's Emily Giambalvo, four days after Dyches' high school football career ended with a state championship loss, he opened the hoops season without practice by scoring 32 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. The 6'2" guard had Division 1 options and could have played both at Maryland but stuck to football.
Lincoln Kienholz, Ohio State Quarterback
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Lincoln Kienholz didn't play for a big-time high school, but he certainly played enough big-time high school football that he was recognized for his incredible ability.
Truthfully, though, an elite athlete like Kienholz can't hide, even in South Dakota. He is from the state capital of Pierre, but the state isn't exactly known as a Pigskin Mecca. Even so, Kienholz dominated the state sports spectrum.
He was a three-sport standout, and he was a three-time all-state basketball player, with his best season perhaps coming when he averaged 19.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. By the way, he also batted .472 with six home runs and went 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA as a pitcher.
Flex like that is why Kienholz was named the USA Today National Boys Athlete of the Year in 2023.
While his name gets forgotten a little among the glut of star talent in Ryan Day's quarterback room, the dude can flat-out ball in football, which is why he was all set to join fellow South Dakota native Kalen DeBoer as Washington's quarterback before Ohio State came in with an offer.
He chose the Buckeyes, and now, he will battle Will Howard, Devin Brown, Air Noland and Julian Sayin for the starting job. If he doesn't come out on top, Kienholz will be a starter soon somewhere big.
Want to know just how many star athletes the Buckeyes have on their roster? J.T. Tuimoloau made this list two years ago, and Sonny Styles made it last year. Both guys are still on the roster, but Kienholz was just a little more worthy. Still, they could be on here, too.
Travis Hunter, Colorado Defensive Back/Wide Receiver
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This one may seem like the biggest stretch on the whole list. But, honestly, have you ever watched Travis Hunter on the football field?
He can do it all. So, what makes you think he couldn't be a superstar playing basketball, too?
After all, Hunter pretty much doesn't take plays off for coach Deion Sanders, playing as a lockdown cornerback and the Buffaloes' top playmaking pass-catcher for Shedeur Sanders.
Back when he was the nation's top-ranked high school recruit at Grayson High School outside Atlanta and had flipped from Florida State to Jackson State, where he wanted to play for Coach Prime, he flirted with the idea of playing college hoops.
"I'd be playing basketball in college," Hunter told 247Sports when asked what he'd be doing if not playing football, according to HBCU Gameday. While that never really came close to materializing, video of him balling out has since surfaced on TikTok.
If you think Hunter isn't skilled and athletic enough to get minutes on a college basketball team had he really focused on it, then you aren't paying close enough attention. Much like his head coach, he's the type of dynamic, gifted athlete who probably could thrive at anything.
Hunter is going to make millions in the NFL, and he could do it either on offense or defense. Basketball isn't in the narrative anymore, but it could have been if he wanted. Even if there wasn't anywhere near as high of a ceiling, he could have been a collegiate contributor.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama Cornerback
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Former Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry may wind up one of the top two or three cornerbacks taken in the upcoming NFL draft, and he may be battling teammate Terrion Arnold for those honors.
Both dudes could burn up the basketball court, too.
While Arnold was a dunk highlight specialist who generated YouTube buzz, McKinstry had major game. He was even considering suiting up for coach Nate Oats' Crimson Tide team after heading to Tuscaloosa as an elite, 5-star football talent.
Nick Saban probably put an end to that, but during the recruiting process, basketball coaches from Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and others around the nation put on the full-court press to land him.
Don't sleep on Arnold's game, either. He, too, flirted with Oats' program, and either one of those could have played some minutes, even for what was then a program on the cusp of greatness.
The athleticism the duo displayed only wound up happening on the football field. But when both of them come off the board as first-round draft picks this year, they probably will have millions of reasons not to regret their decisions.
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame Quarterback
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When Riley Leonard was in high school in Fairhope, Alabama, he was an uber-athlete who was super-raw from a developmental standpoint, so SEC teams didn't really give him long looks until late.
By then, the Duke Blue Devils decided to take a chance on bringing him on as a quarterback, ending his tough decision on whether he would be a college football or basketball player.
At the time, he had offers to play on the hardwood from teams like North Alabama, UAB, Samford and Missouri State, but none of those could compete with ACC football. Despite an injury-plagued 2023 season, Leonard has proved throughout his career he knew what he was doing.
He left Durham after coach Mike Elko went to College Station to coach the Texas A&M Aggies, but Leonard isn't following him. Instead, he's heading north to play for coach Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Freeman and Co. are hopeful Leonard can provide the breakthrough impact in one year in South Bend that Sam Hartman didn't quite reach in '23 after he transferred from Wake Forest. Leonard's ultra athleticism could be a major asset for a Fighting Irish team with a lot of offseason buzz.
Leonard's arm has progressed throughout his career, and his athleticism as a dual-threat runner always has been on display. It's those traits that made him a coveted player in both sports, and they could have translated into him getting minutes on a tourney team.
Traylon Ray, West Virginia Wide Receiver
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One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 football season was the West Virginia Mountaineers going from coach Neal Brown being on the hot seat to a breakout 9-4 season.
While they expect big things in Morgantown every year because of such a passionate fanbase and proud program, last year was a nice first step back to the national conversation. Part of the reason is Brown's ability to identify talent and athleticism.
A couple of those guys who fit the bill are electric receivers Traylon Ray and Rodney Gallagher.
Ray, especially, is a nice-looking prospect who caught 18 passes for 321 yards and three scores a season ago. The 6'3", 193-pound Tallahassee native carries huge expectations in '24.
"Coach (Neal) Brown loved that I played three sports, and he wanted me to finish up my basketball and baseball seasons," Ray told Blue Gold Illustrated's Kevin Kinder. "I just looked at what I had the brightest future in (for college), and I had some family members that played football too, so that was what I wanted to do."
After leading North Florida Christian in scoring, Ray told the Tallahassee Democrat he hoped to play both sports in college, even though it didn't happen.
In Western Pennsylvania, Ray's current buddy was carving his own two-sport path. Rodney Gallagher averaged 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game and was the area's player of the year. He, too, flirted with playing college hoops but wound up playing football and had 10 grabs for 74 yards as a freshman.
Brown loves two-sport stars, and the duo of receivers has talent in bunches.
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