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Best basketball player on every Way-Too-Early Top 25 football team

Oklahoma WR Jeffery Mead won an Oklahoma Class 6A championship with Union High School. Cory Young/Tulsa World

Every team in Mark Schlabach's 2017 Way-Too-Early Top 25 is loaded with gridiron greats, but here are the guys who could also take their talents to the hardwood.


1. Alabama

How Ronnie Clark fits into Alabama's crowded backfield is unknown. But if the Tide need a guard to play pickup basketball, the former high school and AAU star would be a top choice. He led Calera (Alabama) High to an area championship and drew interest from the basketball programs at Georgia and Wichita State. -- Alex Scarborough


2. Florida State

Don't allow Brock Ruble's 6-foot-8, 318-pound frame to fool you. It takes nifty feet to be that physically imposing and play offensive tackle, and he developed that athleticism playing basketball at DeMatha Catholic. Alumni from DeMatha Catholic include multiple first-round NBA picks, Olympic gold-medal winners, a Hall of Famer, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, Danny Ferry and a handful of current NBA players. -- Jared Shanker


3. USC

Sam Darnold was league MVP on the hardwood as a high school sophomore and as a senior, and there's some impressive family lineage here. Darnold's grandfather, Dick Hammer, played basketball at USC and was a member of the Trojans' 1954 NCAA Final Four team. -- David Lombardi


4. Ohio State

Malik Harrison hasn't really had a chance to shine on defense yet for the Buckeyes, but the sophomore linebacker's freakish athleticism is ramping up the hype for his future. He averaged a double-double and helped his Walnut Ridge team qualify for its first Ohio state tournament since 1971 -- and is Urban Meyer's reigning slam-dunk champion. -- Austin Ward


5. Penn State

Tight end Mike Gesicki had basketball scholarship offers from mid-major schools and finished his high school career as Southern Regional (New Jersey)'s all-time leading scorer. The 6-foot-6 senior won the New Jersey state dunk contest and starred in volleyball as well. -- Brian Bennett


6. Clemson

It's hardly fair that a player with Christian Wilkins' size -- 6-foot-4, 310 pounds -- moves the way he can. He has put those skills to work on the football field, moving from tackle to edge rusher last season and serving as one of the most productive members of Clemson's national championship defense. But on the hardwood, Wilkins was a strong player too. He was a four-year letterman at Suffield Academy in Connecticut, averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds a game as a senior and finishing his career with more than 1,000 points. He also played alongside Notre Dame star Bonzie Colson in AAU. -- David M. Hale


7. Washington

Speedy receiver and return man Dante Pettis has already showcased his versatility on the football field: He was the Huskies' main throwing option on trick plays last season. Pettis has reportedly taken his skills to the hardwood, putting on shows with his dunking ability. -- Lombardi


8. Oklahoma

At 6-foot-5, wide receiver Jeffery Mead nearly pursued basketball over football in college. He scored 14 points to help lead Tulsa Union High to a win in the Oklahoma Class 6A state championship in 2014. -- Jake Trotter


9. LSU

Apparently Donte Jackson is more than just a cornerback and part-time sprinter on LSU's track team. The dude can also hoop. He isn't the tallest guy on the team -- LSU's roster lists Jackson at 5-foot-11 -- but his athleticism is off the charts, and he'd have no difficulty getting up the floor in a hurry. -- David Ching


10. Oklahoma State

Injuries in college have prevented quarterback Taylor Cornelius from impacting the Cowboys. Rest assured: Even stuck behind Mason Rudolph, the 6-foot-6 junior is plenty athletic. He was an all-state basketball player at Bushland (Texas) High School and counts numerous high-level athletes among his extended family. -- Mitch Sherman


11. Auburn

Most remember Kerryon Johnson for winning state championships in football while at Madison (Alabama) Academy, but he also won a state championship in basketball. It helped that he played alongside former five-star recruit Josh Langford, who now plays for Tom Izzo at Michigan State, but Johnson was a decent player in his own right. His older brother Kerron played basketball at Belmont and is now playing professionally overseas. -- Greg Ostendorf


12. Wisconsin

Fifth-year senior Leon Jacobs was once a standout basketball player for two different high schools in California. He was a four-year letter-winner and a three-time second-team All-Del Rey League selection in hoops. Jacobs played football as a high school freshman but focused strictly on basketball the next two years before returning to football as a senior. He won a high school dunk contest and has the YouTube video to prove it, which includes him jumping over someone for a slam. -- Jesse Temple


13. Georgia

Senior linebacker Lorenzo Carter (6-foot-6) was a standout basketball player in high school, helping Whitefield Academy (sophomore) and Norcross High (junior) win Georgia state championships. A forward in basketball and linebacker/end in football, Carter is long, powerful, fast and athletic enough to have anyone want to pick him first in rec league. -- Edward Aschoff


14. Michigan

At 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds, wide receiver Zach Gentry has the best basketball body on Michigan's roster. The converted QB was an all-state power forward in high school and a candidate for New Mexico Mr. Basketball before he gave up the sport to get ready for college football his senior year. -- Dan Murphy


15. Stanford

Both wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside's father and mother played basketball professionally overseas, so that's a start. Arcega-Whiteside was also a 2014 McDonald's All-American nominee. He translated his height and vertical leap to the football field on a 2016 game-winning touchdown catch. It was a fade at UCLA. -- Lombardi


16. Miami

Jahair Jones spent last season on the practice squad, but he was a football and basketball player in high school and in the one season he spent at ASA College in Brooklyn. As a high school senior, the 6-foot-4, 316-pound offensive lineman was a first-team all-county selection. -- Andrea Adelson


17. Kansas State

A sophomore reserve for the Wildcats, Dalton Schoen lettered four years in basketball, earning all-state honorable mention, and he won two Kansas 6A championships at Blue Valley Northwest. He has hoops in his blood too, as his brother, Mason, is a junior on the K-State basketball team. -- Sherman


18. Louisville

You've probably seen the highlights of Heisman winner Lamar Jackson's full-court shot, but Louisville's star QB isn't the top hoops player on his own team. Jaylen Smith was a small forward for his Pascagoula (Mississippi) High team, and at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, his combination of size and speed made him a dangerous weapon as a scorer and on the boards. He's now using that athleticism to make plays for Jackson in Louisville's passing game. -- Hale


19. Colorado

It isn't surprising when a versatile, dual-threat talent happens to be good at other sports. Steven Montez lettered three times as a small forward in high school basketball and averaged 16.7 points as a senior. -- Lombardi


20. South Florida

Last season, safety Jaymon Thomas set a career high with 55 total tackles, ranking fifth on the team. But he is an all-purpose threat on the basketball court. Here is a quick scouting report from somebody who has seen him play: "Incredible hops, dunks on everyone, 3-point range." Sounds like Thomas can do it all. -- Adelson


21. Washington State

Marcellus Pippins, a 5-foot-10 defensive back who displays lethal quickness from the guard positions, is known as the Cougars' best basketball player. But look out: Rumor has it that quarterback Luke Falk has game too. -- Lombardi


22. West Virginia

The Mountaineers have some quality big men to choose from for a pickup game, starting with sophomore Adam Shuler, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end with a lot of length and quickness. No word yet on whether he knows how to play Bob Huggins' signature press defense, though. -- Max Olson


23. Texas

Michael Jordan was the inspiration for Lil'Jordan Humphrey's creative first name, and the dude's got game. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore wide receiver played basketball at Southlake Carroll (Texas) High and was a high jumper, so you know he has hops. With his length, speed and athleticism, you want Humphrey on your team in a pickup game. -- Olson


24. Boise State

Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was a dominant force in high school hoops, averaging a double-double -- 29.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game -- during his senior season. But there's more: Vander Esch can also throw down 360-degree dunks with graceful ease, as evidenced by this video. -- Lombardi


25. Virginia Tech

The Hokies' strength coach reports that Adonis Alexander can "jump out of the gym" when it comes to the basketball court. The 6-foot-3, 193-pound cornerback hails from Independence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, but he spent his freshman season at another high school focusing on basketball. He has used those basketball hops to pick off six passes in his Virginia Tech career. -- Shanker