25 College Basketball Stars We Wish Played Football
March Madness is upon us, which means for the next few weeks college basketball takes over the sports world. This is a wondrous experience for hoops fans, but if you're not big on the game and prefer your college athletes playing football, it might get a little annoying hearing nonstop talk about brackets, buzzer-beaters and Cinderellas.
Unless, that is, you find a way to make it interesting, like envisioning whether certain college basketball stars could hack it on the gridiron.
Over the years a handful of athletes have managed to play both football and basketball in college, and do it successfully, such as Tony Gonzalez at California and Charlie Ward at Florida State. Plenty more starred in both at the high school level but then had to make a choice, and it wouldn't be surprising to hear that some wished they could still double up.
We've picked 25 current college basketball standouts who would probably make pretty darn good football players, too. Check it out and then let us know if we missed any in the comments section.
BeeJay Anya, North Carolina State
1 of 25
Height, weight: 6'9", 300 lbs
Projected football position: Defensive tackle
BeeJay Anya doesn't play much, averaging less than 20 minutes per game this season (after playing only 11.6 minutes last year as a freshman), but when he's out there, he more than makes his presence felt. Anya is a massive body that clogs up the middle of the court, much like a nose tackle would to stop the run, though in basketball it ends up resulting in blocked shots.
Anya blocks 2.6 shots per game, an amount that would rise to 5.4 if he played a full 40 minutes, and his 87 total blocked shots ranks 16th in Division I. And even if he doesn't swat the ball away, just being there causes opponents to drive in a different direction.
J.J. Avila, Colorado State
2 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 250
Projected football position: Tight end
Whether it's a short-yardage situation or a scenario where he's able to slip away from coverage, odds are J.J. Avila would find a way to get his hands on the ball no matter where it was thrown. It's how he's played basketball, first at Navy and then for the past two seasons at Colorado State, showing off his ability to not only make three-pointers but also score close to the basket.
The senior was more of an outside shooter at Navy, but with the Rams he's the inside presence that has led them to 53 wins the past two years. The 27 victories Colorado State has this year unfortunately wasn't enough for it to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection, but it's playing in the NIT as a top seed, which should allow Avila to add to his numbers before his career comes to a close.
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
3 of 25
Height, weight: 6'5", 217 lbs
Projected football position: Linebacker
As the leading scorer and most comprehensive defender on Virginia's 29-win team, Malcolm Brogdon has earned his share of bumps and bruises along the way. He even suffered a nasty gash on his head after colliding with teammate London Perrantes during a game in February, resulting in Perrantes breaking his nose and suffering a concussion.
Imagine what Brogdon could do with a helmet and some shoulder pads.
Brogdon was co-defensive player of the year this season in the ACC, where the junior helped the Cavaliers win their second straight conference title thanks to a defense that prides itself on giving no space to move. Brogdon was usually tasked with guarding an opponent's best player, covering him like a blanket and using his body to knock him off his path the way a linebacker would destroy a wide receiver coming across the middle.
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Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
4 of 25
Height, weight: 7'0", 240 lbs
Projected football position: Wide receiver
If you think the idea of a 7-footer lining up wide and running a fly route seems ridiculous, then you haven't seen the footage of Willie Cauley-Stein when he was a high school receiver in Kansas.
"Everybody in the stands knew where I was going with it, especially the opposing coaches," Cauley-Stein's former teammate, quarterback Dalton Cook, told CampusInsiders.com.
Football has taken a backseat to Cauley-Stein's role as Kentucky's top defender and the lone upperclassman on a team full of superstar freshmen and sophomores. The junior is also the Wildcats' most complete player, shooting 58.8 percent and averaging 9.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in a platoon system. His most impressive stat might be his 44 steals, which probably comes from needing great hands as a receiver.
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
5 of 25
Height, weight: 6'6", 210 lbs
Projected football position: Dual-threat quarterback
Some basketball players are scorers, others focus on rebounding the ball and for some the emphasis is on facilitating and creating for others rather than doing it all themselves. Kyle Collinsworth has been all of those things for BYU, performing at a level this season that we've never seen from a player in NCAA history.
Similar to how quarterbacks who could run as effectively as they throw the ball have changed football, Collinsworth is doing that to hoops this season by recording six triple-doubles (10-plus in three different statistical categories). The previous NCAA record for a season was four, and the career mark is six.
Collinsworth has done it with scoring, rebounding and assisting, and for the year the junior averages 14 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists. That diversity would fit in perfectly with the Cougars' football team, where mobile quarterback Taysom Hill has frustrated defenses for the past few seasons with his ability to distribute and take off on his own.
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
6 of 25
Height, weight: 6'6", 225 lbs
Projected football position: Tight end
We want our athletes to play with passion, acting like it's a privilege rather than a right to get to be out there performing for thousands of fans. We want to see this in the way they play, the way they react to what happens and how they handle the tough times.
Branden Dawson endeared himself to Michigan State fans—while also frustrating them—when he broke his hand last season after slamming it down on a table, in reaction to seeing how poorly he'd played while watching film of a previous Spartans game. The swingman missed a month of play, but when he returned he didn't take it easy hoping not to re-injure his hand—instead he went full speed and without abandon in helping MSU reach the Elite Eight.
Dawson seems like the perfect kind of hard-nosed player who would fit in perfectly on Mark Dantonio's football teams, and if he's willing to play through pain, he'd be loved by football fans as much as he is by the school's basketball supporters.
Rico Gathers, Baylor
7 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 280 lbs
Projected football position: Defensive end
Baylor's football team has developed a reputation as one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the country, scoring in bunches and doing it at a lightning pace, but the Bears defense has its fair share of tremendous athletes. The most imposing of that bunch is Shawn Oakman, a 6'9", 270-pound defensive end who looks like he'd fit in perfectly on the school's basketball team as a power forward.
But that spot is already taken (quite well) by Baylor's Rico Gathers, who plays his position and role like a football player with how he throws himself and others around trying to get his hands on the ball.
Not surprisingly, Baylor football coach Art Briles has tried to get Gathers to try out for football. Briles envisions him as a tight end, but Bleacher Report's Jason King wrote that Gathers feels he'd work better on defense.
"Gathers would prefer to play defensive end because that position commands a higher paycheck in the NFL," King wrote.
Instead of trading Gathers for Oakman, if Baylor were to have both on either end of the defensive line, that alone might make some quarterbacks audible to a run play on every shotgun snap.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
8 of 25
Height, weight: 6'5", 203 lbs
Projected football position: H-back
Jerian Grant is one of many Notre Dame athletes who are related to other notable sports stars, including some who are currently at the school. But while Corey Robinson—son of former NBA great David Robinson—has opted to play football instead of basketball, Grant has chosen to follow in the footsteps of uncle Horace Grant, a four-time world champion for the Chicago Bulls.
Grant's skill set is perfect for basketball, but it's also diverse enough to work in other sports. As the only player in the country who averages more than 16 points and six assists per game and shoots at least 48 percent, per his online bio, the senior is the kind of talent that would probably be great doing anything that had him with the ball in his hands.
As a halfback, he could line up in the backfield to run the ball or move over to the slot to go out for a pass. Either way, his speed and elusiveness would make him hard to tackle or at least make the defender work for that takedown.
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
9 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 235 lbs
Projected football position: Linebacker
Wisconsin made the Final Four last season thanks to a team full of shooters who could hit from anywhere on the court. The Badgers might be better this year, and a lot of that is because of the physicality that Nigel Hayes has brought to the lineup in his sophomore year.
Hayes also shoots well, hitting 51.2 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range, but it's his ability to draw contact and bang around inside that has enabled Wisconsin to become a more complete team.
Built like a tall middle linebacker, Hayes would fit in perfectly on a defense that values having players willing to throw themselves into piles and knock heads.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
10 of 25
Height, weight: 6'7", 215 lbs
Projected football position: Safety
When Arizona needs to lock down an opponent's best offensive player, it's usually Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who gets the assignment. It could be a point guard, a shooter or a post player, but that doesn't matter because of how the sophomore is able to cover each of them the same way and without giving up anything in terms of size or speed.
If he were on a football field, Hollis-Jefferson would fit best covering the back line of the defense as a strong safety, out there to pick up tight ends or provide backup for cornerbacks handling a fast and flashy receiver. He'd also be called on to blitz the quarterback and fly into the backfield to make a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
Hollis-Jefferson could probably also handle the gunner position on punt return coverage, a scary thought for a return man who sees that runaway train headed his way at full speed.
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
11 of 25
Height, weight: 6'6", 225 lbs
Projected football position: Linebacker
He's out there for his athleticism as a scorer, but Stanley Johnson brings so much more than just the ability to hit jumpers and drive to the basket. He can also knock people around, if needed, kind of like a linebacker tasked to bumping a slot receiver off his route or plowing through the hole in the line to swallow a running back.
Johnson's freshman year has produced strong offensive numbers, averaging 14.1 points and 6.6 rebounds, but his defensive rating of 85.4 ranks him ninth-best in the country. He's the kind of player who uses his defense to create offense, much like how someone like former Washington star Shaq Thompson managed to parlay interceptions and forced fumbles into touchdowns last season for the Huskies.
Arizona's football team has the top defensive player in the country in Scooby Wright, a linebacker who has risen from being an unheralded recruit to the recipient of numerous player of the year awards. Paired with Johnson at the position, the Wildcats could have the best defense in the Pac-12.
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
12 of 25
Height, weight: 6'1", 195 lbs
Projected football position: Option quarterback
The point guard is the quarterback of a basketball team, tasked with reading the defense and figuring out whether it's best to throw it inside, kick it out to a perimeter scorer or take it to the hole himself. Those are the same things that a passer running Georgia Tech's triple-option offense has to do, and Arizona's T.J. McConnell could probably handle that job as well as Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas did last season.
McConnell averages 9.8 points and 6.4 assists this season, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and turning it over only 67 times in 34 games. Considering how often the senior handles the ball, that's astounding care for the rock, something a quarterback must be adept at.
When McConnell draws in the defense by driving into the lane, only to swing a no-look pass to a three-point shooter or dump it off to a ready-to-dunk big man, it's like faking the option around the corner and then pitching it to the outside to produce a long gain on the ground.
Jordan Mickey, LSU
13 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 235 lbs
Projected football position: Linebacker
Late in Friday's SEC tournament game, LSU's Jordan Mickey got tangled up with Auburn's Jordan Granger and the players nearly came to blows. Mickey ended up getting hit in the back of the head by Granger, who was ejected for that swing, yet Mickey could have just as easily been tossed since he chased after Granger in a stance that showed he was ready to fight.
We're not condoning fighting in basketball, or any sport, but we love the fight that Mickey showed. And Tigers football coach Les Miles would probably dig it, too, especially if Mickey showed that kind of fire during the heat of an intense night game in Death Valley.
Mickey is one of the toughest players in college basketball, and the sophomore would likely get the same label if he played football as well.
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming
14 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 235 lbs
Projected football position: Tight end
Larry Nance Jr. has overcome a major knee injury and an illness normally associated with adolescence to get Wyoming's basketball team into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. He has another year of eligibility left if he wanted to play football, and his perseverance and talent would probably get the Cowboys into their first bowl game since 2011.
Nance tore his ACL last February, missing Wyoming's last seven games, yet he returned for his senior season as strong as ever and was leading his team toward the postseason when he came down with mononucleosis and had to sit out four games. In his absence, the Cowboys struggled and continued to do so when he first returned because he wasn't at full strength.
But once Nance returned to form, he led Wyoming to the Mountain West tournament title by scoring 47 points in three tourney games. Football coach Craig Bohl would likely welcome a player with that devotion with open arms once basketball season is over, since the spring game isn't scheduled until April 25.
D.J. Newbill, Penn State
15 of 25
Height, weight: 6'4", 210 lbs
Projected football position: Running back
In four seasons of college basketball, D.J. Newbill has taken enough hits to warrant getting to attempt 715 free throws. In his just-completed senior year, Newbill hardly ever left the court for Penn State and was instrumental in getting the Nittany Lions into the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
His limitless energy supply would work well as a running back for James Franklin, whose football team struggled to run the ball last year and couldn't find a reliable ball-carrier who would be able to take the physical toll that comes with the position.
Newbill averaged 20.7 points per game and took almost 16 shots each outing this season, so he's not afraid to be the primary focus. Hand him the ball 25 or 30 times a game and he'll get you some productive yardage.
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
16 of 25
Height, weight: 6'3", 175 lbs
Projected football position: Cornerback
The son of one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, Gary Payton II has prided himself on being as adept at stealing the ball as his father was. It's far from the only thing he was good at this season for Oregon State, as Payton averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game along with his 95 steals and 37 blocked shots.
Despite being smaller than most of his teammates, Payton was the Beavers' top rebounder and had only four fewer blocks than 6'10" Daniel Gomis. He could sky with the best of them and also had the lateral quickness to deflect passes and force turnovers.
Put the junior in the secondary and he'd blanket an opponent's best wide receiver and probably lead the Pac-12 in interceptions and pass breakups.
"Defense, it's in my blood, Payton told Lindsay Schnell of SI.com. "It's fun to stop your opponent. Reading a play, getting a deflection, it gives you momentum on offense."
Cameron Ridley, Texas
17 of 25
Height, weight: 6'9", 285 lbs
Projected football position: Pass-catching offensive tackle
Cameron Ridley's three seasons at Texas have produced decent results and statistics, but nothing that really stands out. He's more or less just been there, doing his job, without much attention or accolades.
Sounds like the life of an offensive lineman, who only gets singled out when he does something out of the ordinary.
That's usually when a blocker gets called for a holding penalty or is beat by a defensive lineman and gives up a sack, but on occasion the large gentlemen get a chance to make a big play. Using linemen as offensive weapons on trick plays has become chic in college football, and if Longhorns coach Charlie Strong ever wanted to throw to a big guy, he might want to give Ridley a tryout.
D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State
18 of 25
Height, weight: 6'5", 180 lbs
Projected football position: Quarterback
The quarterback position has evolved so much in the past decade that it's become one that requires so many more skills than just being able to throw the ball well. But passing accuracy and arm strength remain the most important things, with everything else something that can get worked on.
We doubt D'Angelo Russell has any aspirations to hold off on his professional basketball career to throw his hat into the crowded ring to be Ohio State's quarterback—the freshman is projected by NBADraft.net as the No. 2 pick this June—but if he did, he might have a real shot to win it once Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer sees how he slings it.
Russell has been close to a one-man show for OSU this season, leading the team in scoring (19.3), rebounding (5.6) and assists (5.1) to contribute to 23 wins and a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tourney. Of all those numbers, the one that translates best to football would be his passing, since he's dropped some of the most amazing dimes we've seen this season.
"A pass from D'Angelo Russell can be a dangerous thing," wrote USA Today's Nicole Auerbach, noting how Russell has hit players in the face with passes that came too hard or too quickly.
Joshua Smith, Georgetown
19 of 25
Height, weight: 6'10", 350 lbs
Projected football position: Defensive tackle
Joshua Smith has had a long and winding college basketball career, starting at UCLA and then heading to Georgetown while dealing with academic issues along the way. But when able to stay on the court, his size and surprising agility for a man his size have made him a hard guy to deal with down on the blocks.
Now wrapping up his fifth—and most productive—season, Smith has turned himself into a dependable space-eater on both ends of the court. Put him in a football uniform and he'd do the same thing, with his best fit as a run-stopper who plugs holes and prevents running backs from going up the middle.
Georgetown's football program played at the FCS level, where he'd likely dominate with that kind of size.
Kenneth 'Speedy' Smith, Louisiana Tech
20 of 25
Height, weight: 6'3", 180 lbs
Projected football position: Wide receiver
A nickname like "Speedy" comes with a certain expectation in the swiftness department, something Texas A&M wide receiver Speedy Noil dealt with (and had no problems meeting) last fall. Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith has been equally as representative of this moniker, routinely running circles around opponents during his four seasons with the Bulldogs.
Smith will end up never playing in the NCAA tournament after his team fell in the Conference USA tournament last weekend, but he still can add to his great numbers in the NIT. For his career he's registered 832 assists and 254 steals while also scoring 833 points as the team's point guard.
With another year of eligibility left to play football, he'd make as a great deep-ball option for Louisiana Tech, which picked up a key transfer for next season in former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel.
Matt Stainbrook, Xavier
21 of 25
Height, weight: 6'10", 270 lbs
Projected football position: Center
There are two positions—center and guard—that appear in both basketball and football, but being a guard in one is completely different from the other. Not so with the center spot, which in both cases requires great hands and the ability to handle close contact in tight situations.
Matt Stainbrook has made a name for himself as a blue-collar worker down low the past two seasons for Xavier, as he did for two years before that at Western Michigan. In 3,393 minutes of career court action he's turned the ball over a mere 228 times, a rate of 2.4 per game.
Stainbrook has never been flashy with his offense, but he gets the job done. As a football center, that would mean making sure the snap is clean and that he's not letting defenders get past him too easily.
J.P. Tokoto, North Carolina
22 of 25
Height, weight: 6'6", 200 lbs
Projected football position: Wide receiver
J.P. Tokoto has some of the best aerial skills of any college basketball player, and he's at his best when he's soaring toward the basket to either thrown down a monster dunk or poke away a pass. That would probably make him the kind of player you'd want to throw to over the middle or deep downfield into double or triple coverage.
Though he's also an effective rebounder, defender and assist man, Tokoto is most effective for North Carolina when he's able to get up in the air to make a play. The junior would make for a great weapon in football as well, since he wouldn't have to be wide open for a quarterback to get him the ball.
Melo Trimble, Maryland
23 of 25
Height, weight: 6'3", 190 lbs
Projected football position: Running back
Freshman Melo Trimble wasted little time showing he was going to give it his all for Maryland, scoring 13 points in 22 minutes in his collegiate debut. That included getting to the foul line for six free-throw attempts, the start of an aggressive trend that hasn't ended.
Trimble has taken 199 foul shots this season, fifth-most in Division I, and on nine occasions he's taken at least 10 free throws in a game. He makes 86.5 percent of his free throws, so the approach is getting the job done.
If Trimble were in a football uniform, this aggressive approach would work best as an every-down rusher, one who prefers to invite contact rather than avoid it. That might not make for a very long career, but it would make him much-appreciated by fans for his hard running.
Alan Williams, UC Santa Barbara
24 of 25
Height, weight: 6'8", 265 lbs
Projected football position: Defensive end
Alan Williams is a double-double machine, a player who can be counted on to score at least 10 points and grab 10 or more rebounds almost every night. He's done that 16 times in 25 games this year, and each of the past three seasons the senior averaged a double-double for UC Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos don't have a football program, which is a shame because Williams would make the kind of defender who has the ability to load up on sacks and tackles for loss as both a run-stopper and pass-rusher.
Williams might even be able to play in the middle of the line, despite being thinner than most defensive tackles. He's often been a few inches shorter than the players he's matched up with—his last game, on Friday, required him to guard 7'6", 300-pound UC-Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye—yet he's still been able to get his points and rebounds.
Joseph Young, Oregon
25 of 25
Height, weight: 6'2", 185 lbs
Projected football position: Wide receiver
Joseph Young almost single-handedly got Oregon through this season, which was expected to be a rough one after most of the Ducks' top players from last year's team graduated, transferred or were dismissed. His 20.2 points per game helped them finish second in the Pac-12 and earn him player of the year honors.
Young could shoot from anywhere on the court—he hit a 30-footer to beat Utah at the buzzer in Friday's Pac-12 semifinals—but the senior is at his best when faking out a defender and beating him toward the basket with great moves and lightning speed. That sounds a lot like the bevy of skill players that Oregon's football team has at its disposal.
If he chose to give football a try, he would be the second Ducks basketball player to suit up in as many seasons, as Johnathan Loyd went from averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 assists last winter to making four receptions and scoring a touchdown last fall.
All statistical information courtesy of SportsReference.com, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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