Play Football, Too?

AntzDad...I'm sure there are several folks on this site that have gone through this experience...as for dual sports in college you really dont hear of it that much...best of luck...

Pretty difficult to do unless you are very special. The demands of playing one sport are pretty demanding let alone two. Toby Geirhart is the most recent player I can think of.

Our friend’s son went to a DIII in California that plays baseball at a pretty high level, and he played football and baseball for one season. After the first season the Baseball coach told him that he could continue to play both sports, however he would not move him up the depth chart as he could not risk loosing him to a football injury if he was going to be one of his frontline guys. (he is a pitcher)

He dropped football and is now in his Jr year and doing quite well baseball wise.

I know a kid who pitched and played linebacker at an Ivy. I'm guessing the baseball coach wasn't thrilled with playing linebacker. Then again the kid threw 90+.

Recently my son's football coach asked him my son wanted him to put together a recruiting tape ( he is a junior), he said he has the talent to play at the next level. My son and I have discussed this possibility. He had decided to soley focus on baseball.

After just seeing him doing both at the high school level, I can't imagine doing both in College, I know they are those that do, just imagine it would be very tough

A D3 school used the opportunity to do both as recruiting difference that the D3 could offer him.

All that said, sounds like you son has a strong desire and should give it a try. He can always focus on one later if it becomes to much.

The only time commitment issue with playing two sports is the travel involved. College sports are year round as it is, so by playing a second sport you are just supplanting one sport for another, not adding more time to it. Travel to away games is the major time commitment difference, since you would have to travel in two seasons.

The problem usually becomes one of if the athlete is really gifted enough to be able to thrive in two sports. If he's not top caliber at each sport, which is rare, then he's faced with losing off season reps in both sports that are the building blocks to achievement. If not that rare, gifted athlete, he'd have to ask himself if less than total dedication will result in him being mediocre at 2 sports instead of good at 1.

No experience here, but it may matter the level teacher/coach he wants to be. If high school, then I would imagine what he majored in would matter more than what he played. Math teachers that can coach are typically in high demand. PE majors that want to coach are a dime a dozen.

If it's college that he wants to coach at, he wouldn't have to teach there so the sport would matter more. Looking at the track record of our local college coaches, it seems they all played the sport they coached and only that sport.

Interested to hear what coaches at those two levels think...

My son played two college sports, baseball and student. He said that was even a grind if you wanted to succeed in both.

LOL rz1! We've heard it's "focus on athletics, be a student and have a social life....pick two."

Instead of hearing from the parents that their son did all three, etc. I'd love it if their *sons and daughters* would post about their experiences juggling the three. And especially from those that juggled more than one sport. Any actual players out there wanna chime in?????

I played both in college but that was back in the early 90's. I had to turn down D1 football offers to go to a NAIA school to do both. If I had to do it all over again. I would go D1 football. I played 4 sports in HS so I never really noticed the added time constraints. It seemed normal to me but again this was almost 20 years ago things are much different now.

I would assume if he wants to coach both than he wants to coach at HS. Don't worry about it (unfortunately) their are a lot of HS baseball coaches out their who's primary job is assistant football coach.

Wasn't there an LSU football player that was also a relief pitcher for their baseball team? I seem to remember that they moved him to relief because he didn't have enough reps to play a position... but, if I remember correctly, he had an awesome arm.

I think it would be very tough to pull off and require a ton of cooperation between the programs.

At UF: Riley Cooper

He signed a $250K contract with the Rangers organization, but is thinking about the NFL. Here's an interesting quote from the Orlando Sentinel:

quote:

As for Riley Cooper, the senior wide receiver is contemplating an NFL career despite signing a $250,000 contract with the Texas Rangers in the offseason. Cooper, who will enter the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, said football might fit his personality better than baseball.

“Maybe the money will be better,” Cooper said. “My mindset’s a football player. I kind of struggle with failure and baseball…That’s my weakness, striking out and getting ****ed.”

quote:

Originally posted by AntzDad:
Son wants to play football and baseball in college. Way down the road, he sees himself as a teacher and coach. He feels he'd have more to offer kids if he played both sports in college.

I told him he can do what he wants, as long as he graduates. "Don't be fifty years old and say 'I wish I had done this or that'."

Any dual-sport student-athletes, or parents of such, out there that want to weigh in on this matter?

As stated you won't find too many dual sport athletes, especially in D1, if they are there, they are stand out athletes. Not sure of the other divisions.

Your son should concentrate on what he excels in to obtain a scholarship, that is the first step if he wants to play sports in college. He should also look into schools where they offer such programs for what he is interested in.

It's nice to say do whatever you want, but you should help him do research to achieve his career goal.

quote:

Originally posted by sandlotmom:
LOL rz1! We've heard it's "focus on athletics, be a student and have a social life....pick two."

Instead of hearing from the parents that their son did all three, etc. I'd love it if their *sons and daughters* would post about their experiences juggling the three. And especially from those that juggled more than one sport. Any actual players out there wanna chime in?????

If you are talking on the college level, I doubt that you will find any here.

lol, these are not BCS, CWS programs offering the dual-sport option. They are D2, D3. Son is not the typical QB/SS. He's a lineman/clean up hitter- a big guy. Two-for-one.

TPM: Maybe there are some lurkers out there that wouldn't mind speaking up. Although... juggling more than one sport and grades may make it impossible to be involved in online forums. It would be cool to have a "mentoring" forum between high school and current college players.