Ben Simmons is the number one overall recruit in the 2015 recruiting class and is projected to be the number one overall draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 small forward will play his college basketball at LSU this upcoming season, and they are happy and fortunate to have him. Les Miles, LSU's head football coach, stated about a week ago that he wants Simmons to play for his football team, and now Simmons has reportedly said he could do it and that he is "waiting for the opportunity," according to Bleacher Report.
It is highly unlikely that Simmons ever suits up for the LSU football team considering that he is a highly touted basketball prospect and likely to be the number one overall pick, but he thinks he could do it. Miles was reportedly being very serious when he said he would love to have Simmons on the team and said he has asked other basketball coaches to send him big players before.
"I AM serious - I am dead serious, I asked Sutton when I was at Oklahoma State if he would send me a guy over ... All you have to do is get me anyone 6-9 and above and very athletic with ball skills, and I'm gonna guarantee it. Why would we run a run? Why wouldn't we just throw it over there to that guy," said Miles, according to Jerit Roser of NOLA.com.
Miles even went on to say how he would use Simmons if he were to get him on the football team. He would put Simmons in on goal-line situations and throw the ball up to him so he could use his size to catch touchdowns. Miles even predicted that he would break records if he played football.
"If he can catch, and certainly we would all predict in this room that he could, he will set the NCAA record for touchdowns. We'll just send him over there, and when three guys are on him, we'll run it, OK? When two guys are on him, we'll throw him the ball," said Miles.
This is all fun to talk about, but Simmons knows that his future is in basketball and he was likely just having fun when he made these comments. Miles was probably very serious with the offer to Simmons, but head basketball coach Johnny Jones would more than likely not allow his star player to risk injuring himself on the football field.
Simmons will get his first taste of college basketball on Nov. 13th when LSU takes on McNeese State in Baton Rouge.
