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 2008.
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MORE CROSSOVER SERIES:
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
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BASKETBALL: B.J. Mullens
Bossi’s take: A seven-footer from Ohio, Mullens committed to Ohio State before he even started his high school career. At Ohio State, he was the Big Ten’s sixth man of the year before being taken No. 24 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2009 NBA Draft. A good athlete with some touch, he showed some potential during a two-year span with the Charlotte Hornets , but mostly underachieved while playing just 189 games over the span of six years. Since his NBA career ended, Mullens has played Internationally in several countries.
FOOTBALL: Terrelle Pryor
Farrell’s take: Pryor was an incredible athlete who earned his first offer from Pitt as a basketball player. But as a football star, he was a bigger Vince Young and dominated opponents. His career was cut short at Ohio State due to off field issues, but he showed his athletic skill by becoming a wide receiver in the NFL. He had one productive season as a wideout for the Browns in 2016 and started nine games at quarterback in Oakland in 2013 where he went 3-6 with seven TDs and 11 INTs.
And the winner is ...: The edge goes to Pryor thanks to a stronger college career and a slightly stronger pro career.
