LeBron James would have to earn a spot on Ohio State’s football team, says Ryan Day

Last updated: 2025/01/29 at 2:13 AM

BigP Published January 29, 2025

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day would be willing to let LeBron James join his football team, but the four-time NBA MVP would have to earn a spot just like everyone else.

For his part, James is fine with that arrangement. “I don’t mind it one bit Coach Day! Earned Not Given,” James posted on social media.

Day, one week after Ohio State won the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and was shown a post made by James from 2022.

“Do I have college eligibility if I went to play another sport besides basketball? How does that rule work,” James wrote.

Fallon, understanding the Ohio native is a longtime Buckeye fan who helped cheer the team to its victory over Notre Dame, asked Coach Day his thoughts on James playing football for Ohio State.

Day is used to being surrounded by star athletes, from recent first-round draft picks like C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to future ones like Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith. But James is basketball royalty. Despite that, Day said the NBA legend wouldn’t be allowed to cut any lines.

“LeBron is a great supporter. With that said, he’d have to start with the freshman in the back of the room and work his way up. He doesn’t get any special treatment,” Day said.

James has flirted with playing football at both the college and professional level in the past.

James is known for his basketball prowess, but he was also a standout wideout in high school at St. Vincent–St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. He was even recruited by Ohio State, then coached by Jim Tressel, at the time. More recently, James told Jason and Travis Kelce that he thought about playing in the NFL during the NBA’s lockout-shortened season.

James is no stranger to hard work and putting in the time, either, as he sits as the oldest active NBA player at 40 years old. While it’s nothing more than a hypothetical, if anyone could make the transition to college football, it’d be James.

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