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EUGENE, OREGON – NOVEMBER 30: Linebacker Bryce Boettcher #28 of the Oregon Ducks walks out of the tunnel with a baseball bat before their game against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
The College Football Playoff begins Friday night and there are a handful of baseball connections spread out across the 12-team field, including a few repeats from our initial “Ranking College Football’s Best Baseball Players” piece. The list is headlined by a pair of players who are imperative to their respective team’s success over the next few weeks.
Bryce Boettcher, Oregon
Boettcher was destined to be an Oregon Duck one day. The Eugene native grew up attending Oregon football games with his family—who are season ticket holders—and like any child who is a diehard fan, he dreamed of donning the yellow and gold one day.
Boettcher was a standout athlete in high school who accumulated 11 varsity letters between baseball, football and basketball and generated buzz both on the diamond and on the gridiron. A handful of schools recruited him as a football player, but he only had one Division I offer to play baseball. Like so many athletes across the country, COVID-19 canceled his senior season and halted any recruiting momentum.
Undeterred, Boettcher chose to walk-on at Oregon over any of the other schools who recruited him in either sport. Even more impressive? Boettcher didn’t arrive on campus with football in mind, initially only forging a path as a baseball walk-on. He made the team out of fall practice and while he logged just 33 at-bats, making the roster was an achievement in and of itself.
However, Boettcher wasn’t satisfied. He approached Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski about returning to his two-way roots after his sophomore season.
“Bryce came in and said: ‘Football is not out of my system and I want to play. Do you think I would have a chance to go try out for football?’” Wasikowski told Oregon Live.
After a call to head coach Dan Lanning, Boettcher got his shot and made the most of it. He made the team in 2022, largely due to his makeup and willingness to work. Boettcher played sparingly that year but took on a more elevated role in 2023 after transitioning to linebacker and logged 37 tackles. He blossomed into a star this fall.
Boettcher leads the Ducks with 87 tackles—ninth-most in the Big Ten—along with a pair of sacks and an interception. He won the Burlsworth Trophy, an award given annually to the nation’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. His fearless, high-energy and tenacious play style rubs off on everyone—whether in the dugout or on the sideline—and he’s undoubtedly a key reason why Oregon sits 13-0 and ranks No. 1 in the country.
Meanwhile, on the diamond, Boettcher turned in a career year last spring, hitting .276/.372/.500 slash line with seven doubles, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The physical center fielder boasts an above-average arm, above-average power to the pull side and runs well. His 2024 season combined with his intriguing toolset was enough for the Houston Astros to select him in the 13th round of the 2024 draft.
Boettcher’s plan right now is to report to the Astros’ West Palm Beach complex at the conclusion of his Oregon football season. However, he has played his way into a potential day-three NFL draft choice or UDFA deal. A big decision potentially lies ahead for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker and center fielder, but it’s a good problem to have.
Lanning summarized Boettcher’s impact best after the Ducks’ 49-14 drubbing of rival Oregon State: “I love Bryce Boettcher, I wish I had a million Bryce Boettchers.”
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton’s significance to Georgia’s fanbase has skyrocketed in recent weeks. The 6-foot-1 signal caller saw action in two blowouts earlier this season—a 48-3 win over Tennessee Tech and a 59-21 triumph over Massachusetts—but took over for the injured Carson Beck in the second half of the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7. Stockton went 12-for-16 with 71 yards and led the Bulldogs to a 22-19 win in overtime and cemented their status as the No. 2 team in the country.
Beck’s status for the College Football Playoff is now in question, putting Stockton is in line for his first-ever start in a Georgia uniform. Though Stockton was a four-star football recruit, he was also a solid catcher and helped guide Rabun County High School to a 35-5 record across three seasons.
Ryan Puglisi, Georgia
Georgia’s quarterback room might have the best collection of baseball-turned-football players of any position group in the country. Puglisi was a four-star football recruit and Connecticut’s 2023 Football Gatorade Player of the Year, though he also could have played Division I baseball if that’s the avenue he chose. At New England prep school powerhouse Avon Old Farms, Puglisi was a righthanded pitcher who featured a fastball that topped out in the low 90s. He was a member of the Yankees Area Code Games Underclass team in 2022 and collected four strikeouts.
Carson Beck, Georgia
Although Beck is sidelined for an extended period of time with an elbow injury, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his prowess on the diamond. Before Beck cemented himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in the 2020 class, he was committed to play baseball at Florida. On the baseball field, his 6-foot-4 frame combined with his arm strength and above-average raw power made for a pretty solid foundation for Beck to hypothetically play in a corner outfield spot. With that being said, I think it’s pretty safe to say he made the right choice to focus on football.
Beck took the reins of Georgia’s offense last season in 2023 and completed over 72% of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns. Before going down with an injury, he guided Georgia to a 10-2 regular-season record and an SEC Championship berth.
Tywone Malone, Ohio State
At 6-foot-4 and 301 pounds, Malone is a mountain of a man and as physical as they come. A product of football powerhouse Bergen Catholic (NJ), Malone was a four-star star football recruit who held every offer under the sun. He committed to Ole Miss to play both baseball and football, and as a true freshman he both saw time on the football field and went 4-for-9 (.444) with two home runs on the Rebels’ national championship team. Malone appeared in 13 games on the gridiron as a sophomore and hit another home run in the spring, but proceeded to enter the transfer portal and committed to Ohio State.
Although Malone has hung up his baseball cleats, he possessed double-plus raw power and the ability to generate tremendous impact. Malone this season has collected seven tackles, headlined by a three-tackle game in September against Marshall.
Joey Velazquez, Ohio State
Initially committed to Ohio State to play baseball, Velazquez ended up on the other side of the rivalry when Michigan offered him an opportunity to play football as well. Across four seasons with the Maize and Blue, Velazquez hit .255/.340/.429 with 17 doubles, a pair of triples, nine home runs and 51 RBIs. His athleticism plays well on the diamond, and he has a strong lefthanded swing. He saw limited usage as a linebacker at Michigan and this past February he transferred to Ohio State. Velazquez has spent most of his time this season on special teams and has logged one tackle.
Nik Sanders, Texas
Sanders saw limited playing time in his freshman season on the diamond and went just 1-for-18 on the season, but he was in the Longhorns’ opening day lineup and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single to drive in their first run of the season. He proceeded to have a brief, yet productive, stint in the California Collegiate League in which he went 8-for-23 (.348) with four doubles and three RBIs across nine games. Sanders is plenty physical with no shortage of arm strength, and this summer he announced that he would be joining the Texas football team as a running back. He hasn’t seen any playing time this season and won’t in the playoff, but his dual-sport feat is impressive nonetheless.
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