On Wednesday Night, the NBA Draft begins as 30 College Basketball and International Stars will have their dreams come true officially becoming NBA Basketball players. There's often a debate over whether it would be easier for a football player to transition to basketball or the other way around. Based on the athletic ability of some of College Football's biggest stars, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't have the edge.
In honor of the NBA Draft, we built an NBA Starting 5 out of the best Basketball players in College Football.
A quarterback makes for the perfect Point Guard as they're well versed in diagnosing defenses to best distribute the ball. While Auburn Freshman Deuce Knight will have to wait his turn to take the field, when he does his athletic ability will be on full display. While his arm strength throwing the football made him one of the most sought after players in the Country, his ability on the Basketball court made him one of the best players in Mississippi.
Practice last night before the all star game today. 1 of the top 24 juniors in Mississippi๐๐พ pic.twitter.com/AcoRZVCGcS
โ Deuce Knight (@DeuceKnight) March 16, 2024
As a 17 year old Freshman lighting up SEC defenses, it's clear that Ryan Williams is one of the most gifted athletes in the Country. Williams' moves avoiding defenders have drawn comparisons to Kyrie Irving's handle making him a perfect addition to this group. In High School, Williams showed all the shiftiness we saw on the football field paired with a ferocity putting his opponents on posters.
Charge? @tjkelly17 @Brett_Boutwell @coachTigg @AndrewJBone @BenThomasPreps @ChadSimmons_ @RTRnews @AL6AFootball @aldotcomPreps @BHoward_11 @SimoneEli_TV @GoSaraland@Hayesfawcett3 @HolmonWiggins@HankSouth247 @RyanMWms pic.twitter.com/W20Szz36Eo
โ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ง โ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐จ๐จ๐โ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฆ๐ฌ 2 (@Ryanwms1) December 19, 2022
In the perfect Small Forward, you're looking for a player with the size to guard the bigger players on the interior but, the speed and shiftiness to defend guards. In Ole Miss, Wide Receiver Caleb Odom you get just that in a player at 6'5 who's going to be a matchup nightmare for whoever is tasked with guarding him. In High School, Odom showed the ability to run the floor in transition with an ability to put any defender on a poster.
First game back!!! Watch ya head ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ @JeremyO_Johnson @ChadSimmons_ @Mansell247 @CTROJANSBALL20 pic.twitter.com/bZMGpJC231
โ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ธ๐ญ๐ธ๐ถ โ (@calebodomm) December 17, 2022
Having a true two-sport athlete currently at the College level makes it much easier to build out a starting 5. As a True Freshman, LSU's Trey'Dez Green made an impact on the football field before making an impact with the Tigers' basketball team. Green's late addition to the Basketball team before stepping away to focus on football and school kept him from making a massive impact but, he showed just how impressive he could be with a highlight reel play against Alabama.
TREY'DEZ GREEN TAKING FLIGHT ๐คฏ๐คฏ
โ LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) January 26, 2025
SECN | @TreyDez_Green | @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/CiFKt9QGCN
This one may be cheating as it's way too easy of an answer but, the best basketball player in College Football is easily Clemson Tight End Ian Schieffelin. After four seasons dominating the paint in the ACC, Schieffelin made the move from the hardwood to the gridiron joining Dabo Swinney and the football program. While leading the Tigers Basketball team, Schieffelin averaged 12.4 points per game with 9.4 rebounds per game leading the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.