Hoops commit leaning towards football future

FORT WORTH, Texas – At Friday's Elite 11 Quarterback Camp at TCU, there was no missing Brock Osweiler. At 6-foot-7 Osweiler would stand out in any setting, except maybe a basketball court. He is beginning to come to that realization too.

Osweiler's presence at the workout was notable for several reasons. While there was one other prospect in attendance at 6-foot-7-plus, there were no other players that hailed from Montana. There were also no other prospects on display that already boast commitments in basketball.

As a freshman in high school, Osweiler committed to play basketball for Gonzaga. However over the past two seasons, he has begun to lean towards a football career in the college ranks instead.

"My freshman year I kind of grew up on the basketball scene and it wasn't until my sophomore year where I did some good stuff as far as football and that's kind of when it started happening," explained Osweiler.

Could two sports be in the works for Osweiler?

"The idea has come out with a couple of schools," he said. "Stanford, it's an idea. Arizona State has kind of thrown it around but right now I'm just leaning towards one sport. I'll probably make a decision whether it's football or stick with Gonzaga probably in the next couple of weeks."

Osweiler isn't just a kid with a football dream either. The strong-armed prospect already has three major offers to his credit: Stanford, Arizona State and Washington State. He has had some interest from some major programs from the Southeast as well.

"Jimbo Fisher from Florida State is coming up to visit on the 12th," he said. "Alabama just called me and they're really interested and they're going to come up to Montana too. Florida State's always kind of been my dream school. It's just kind of ironic that they got in touch with my coach after my sophomore year. It's just been great talking to them and getting to know them. I look forward to seeing what's going to happen with that."

Osweiler's appearances at workouts like the Elite 11 camp may be limited by his hectic basketball schedule. He was able to workout at TCU due to a fortuitous scheduling coincidence that allowed him to be in the Dallas area for an AAU tournament.

"I'm actually down here right now playing basketball," he said. "I play for the Portland Legends. Kyle Singler played for that team and Kevin Love. I'm doing the whole AAU circuit."

With such a big frame and basketball athleticism, Osweiler has a very high ceiling if he were to begin focusing on football and he understands the kind of upside he possesses.

"The biggest thing is that basketball is easier to play year round," he said. "Football, I think there's a lot of untapped potential. So I'm just excited to see what comes in the future."

The Montana native hopes to limit his school choices to two or three by the summer and play things from there. Then he hopes to continue to impress when the pads are on, since he will have limited opportunities to do so in camp settings.

"I'm more of a guy that just gets it on the field," he said. "That's where I separate myself from others. Overall I'm a leader. I'm able to read coverages and make adjustments at the line."

As he continues to lean towards the gridiron for his college future, Osweiler recruitment may just now be getting started.