College Football Recruiting: Should Coaches Target More Basketball Players?

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer): A rose by any other name is still a rose. Can the same be said for an athlete?

Tony Gonzalez, now with the Atlanta Falcons, may have started a trend that others seem to be following.

Gonzalez was a basketball player who also played football, but in 1996 he had to make a choice of which way to go. Though he played both sports and could have gone pro in either one, he finally decided in 1997 to forgo his senior year at Cal and enter the NFL draft.

He broke in with Kansas City and went on to 11 Pro Bowl seasons and a career which many have said made him the best tight end in professional football.

In addition, he currently holds the NFL records for receptions in a single season (102) by a tight end, career TDs by a tight end (82), career receptions by a tight end (1,001) and reception yards by a tight end (11,842).

You see, he took those leaping skills he developed as a basketball player and put them on a football field. No linebacker could cover him. All a QB had to do was throw it high and Tony would leap up and snag it like a basketball alley-oop pass.

It wasn't long until other basketball stars began to see that they might do just as well or better in football.

Antonio Gates, who played basketball at Kent State, found himself dazzling scouts with his leaping catches as well and landed a job with San Diego Chargers.

Last year, the trend continued when the New Orleans Saints took a Miami Hurricane, who was a basketball standout, in the third round as their tight end choice. He has shown that he could also develop into a top tight end.

Now there is another. Portland State star Julius Thomas is hoping to dazzle the scouts at NFL combines in coming days and become the newest tight end to come by way of basketball skills.

Thomas only played one year of high school football because he wanted to concentrate on basketball. And he went to Portland State to follow that dream.

But the 6'5'', 240 pound Thomas decided to walk on to the football team and quickly became a prime downfield target.

As a senior in college, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Good numbers, but maybe not good enough for the NBA, but was his football good enough for the NFL?

Nigel Burton (no relation), his coach in college, thinks so. Once he shows the scouts what he is capable of doing, he's sure he'll go in the NFL draft.

Burton told NFL Analyst Mike Detillier, "He is a unique athlete and no one realizes how hard he worked to put himself in this position. He has excellent size, terrific eye-hand coordination, great leaping skills and the ability to make something big happen after the catch. He is a nightmare for defensive backs or linebackers to match up with down field."

Something tells me Thomas will indeed make it in the NFL and that others are soon to follow. Are Nick Saban and other college coaches looking at their own basketball players?

If they're not, they could be missing what the NFL has found to be quite a gold mine.