The Rivals Crossover Series is a weeklong look at some historic figures in football and basketball, merging our two sports into one storyline.
In this piece, national football recruiting director Mike Farrell and national basketball analyst Eric Bossi look at the No. 1 player from each sport and compare their national influence and success. Here we look at the class of 2019.
MORE CROSSOVER SERIES:
Who would have been better at football, LeBron or Zion?
The top 10 football-basketball combo prospects
The top 10 football-basketball combo schools
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2003): LeBron James vs. Ernie Sims
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2004): Dwight Howard vs. Adrian Peterson
No. 1 vs. No.1 (2005): Gerald Green vs. Derrick Williams
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2006): Greg Oden vs. Percy Harvin
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2007): Michael Beasley vs. Jimmy Clausen
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2008): B.J. Mullens vs. Terrelle Pryor
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2009): John Wall vs. Bryce Brown
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2010): Josh Shelby vs. Ronald Powell
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2011): Austin Rivers vs. Jadeveon Clowney
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2012): Shabazz Muhammad vs. Dorial Green-Beckham
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2013): Andrew Wiggins vs. Robert Nkemdiche
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2014): Jahlil Okafor vs. Da'Shawn Hand
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2015): Skal Labissiere vs. Byron Cowart
No. 1 vs. No. 1 (2016): Rashan Gary vs. Josh Jackson
BASKETBALL: James Wiseman
Bossi’s take: An athletic seven-footer, Wiseman chose to stay in Memphis and play for his former high school coach Penny Hardaway but things didn’t go as planned. After looking tremendous during three games with the Tigers, Wiseman grew tired of fighting the NCAA for his eligibility in court and left the program to prepare for the NBA Draft.
FOOTBALL: Derek Stingley, Jr.
Farrell’s take: Stingley is the best high school cornerback I’ve ever scouted. He has amazing size, speed and instincts you can’t teach. He’s also a dangerous return man. Stingley's freshman season at LSU was beyond impressive and he’s a surefire three-and-out guy that will land in the top five of the NFL Draft when his time comes.
