It’s no secret — football players are incredible athletes.
That’s why it’s not surprising when you hear football recruits starring in other sports during their high school days like basketball or baseball.
Dual-sport athletes even carry over into college football with some players on baseball or basketball teams throughout the offseason.
So that got us thinking, what SEC would players would make the best hoops stars?
Here’s are starting five.
Point guard — QB Nick Marshall, Auburn
Why: Nick Marshall may not have been a dual-sport star in college, but we’ve seen him excel at both defensive back and quarterback in college and he may play wide receiver in the NFL. Marshall is as athletic as anyone in the SEC and he’s a very smart player. Anybody that can run Gus Malzahn’s no-huddle spread option offense as flawlessly as Marshall can should be very capable of running the point on a basketball team.
Shooting guard — WR De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State
Why: Well, because he did play basketball. Until this past spring, Wilson played for both the football and basketball teams at Mississippi State. His production wasn’t that great and he only played in seven games as a freshman, but he was a Mr. Basketball in the state of Alabama. Wilson is more than capable of playing the two-position and he provides us with great athleticism as someone who can extend the defense out to the three-point line, but can also slash and cut into the middle with effectiveness.
Small forward — LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
Why: At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, McKinney possesses outstanding speed for his size. With a 4.5 40-yard dash time, McKinney can be very versatile on the field, especially in coverage. Often times, the best athletes on a basketball court play the small forward position, so McKinney would fit in perfectly at this spot. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he average a double-double for his high school basketball team and helped it to a 30-3 record.
Power forward — OL Corey Robinson, South Carolina
Why: At the power forward position, you need somebody with height. But in football, often the tallest players are offensive linemen, which means they have some weight on them, too. While Robinson’s 344-pound body isn’t ideal for basketball, we’ll take what we can get. As long as Robinson can use that 6-foot-8 frame to rebound and set strong picks for Marshall, Wilson or McKinney, we should be fine. It wouldn’t hurt if he could step out and a hit the occasional 15-foot jumper, though.
Center — OL Dan Skipper, Arkansas
Why: We need some size down low and what better player to give us some size than 6-foot-10, 326-pound offensive lineman Dan Skipper. You aren’t going to find a taller player in college football than Skipper and we’ve seen a bit of mean streak from him this season. He’s physical and that’s what we would need in the post. I’m not quite sure how his footwork would be, but as long as he can grab rebounds, we’ll be okay.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
