Meet the Nebraska baseball pledge from KC who KU, K-State are recruiting to play QB
The list of famous athletes who have played both baseball and football at an elite level beyond high school is not long, but it is still one heck of a list.
There’s Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson. They electrified crowds while playing both sports as professionals. There’s also Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Jameis Winston. They juggled both sports in college before focusing solely on football as NFL quarterbacks. There are other examples, but hearing just those five names is enough for Mikey Pauley to make a bold statement about his athletic future.
He would love to one day follow in their footsteps.
“I have always looked up to guys like that who played multiple sports,” Pauley said. “I think it’s sweet seeing highlights of everything they’ve done in their past. I can relate to them. I want to do the exact same thing.”
Pauley, a three-sport athlete at Blue Valley Northwest, might be able to pursue that dream when he completes his senior year of high school in 2022. He orally committed to play catcher for the Nebraska baseball team last fall, but Big 12 schools are now also recruiting him to play quarterback for their football teams.
Baseball could still end up being his exclusive sport of choice. But the possibility of throwing passes in front of big crowds on fall Saturdays has given Pauley much to think about as he juggles baseball tournaments and football camps this summer.
Perhaps he could play both at the next level. What once seemed like nothing more than a day dream suddenly feels tangible.
“I’m definitely keeping my options open,” Pauley said. “Playing both would be really awesome. It’s what I have always to do, but I never really knew how far I could take it until I just started to grow in each sport. That’s how it’s gone. But if a school only wants me to play one sport that is something I will have to consider.”
Things began to change for Pauley late last month when he attended a football camp at Kansas State. That’s where he got his big break on the gridiron, as he impressed quarterback coach Collin Klein while competing against other top athletes from across the region.
Pauley wasn’t thinking about a scholarship offer when he showed up that day, but a new door opened for him when Klein called later that week and offered him the opportunity to play quarterback for the Wildcats.
“I tested great and threw really good balls all day. I guess it opened their eyes,” Pauley said. “They also mentioned I had a good attitude and was really good at communicating with the other athletes. They really liked that.”
A few days later, the Kansas Jayhawks also decided they liked his game and offered him a football scholarship. He will be the first in-state quarterback that Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold compete against for.
Pauley also went to another football camp in Iowa, and he said the Iowa State Cyclones gave him a serious look. He says their coaching staff has been in contact with him since, but they haven’t offered a scholarship.
“It’s cool to see that my hard work is starting to pay off,” Pauley said. “People are starting to take notice. It’s definitely something that makes my commitment interesting. I will have to consider what both sports are going to do for me in the future. That’s part of the conversation now.”
At least one school has given him the green light to play both sports in college.
Pauley said the KU football staff informed him they have had success sharing players with the Jayhawks baseball team and they would be open to him playing for both squads. Kansas signed Lawrence baseball and football recruit Devin Neal during the 2021 cycle.
Nebraska football coaches have also made contact with Pauley to see if he might be a fit for two sports with the Cornhuskers. As of now, he said K-State is only interested in him for football.
“I used to talk to the baseball guys at Kansas State,” Pauley said. “But they’re pretty set on me just being a quarterback right now.”
Pauley has no time table on making a decision about his athletic future.
Blue Valley Northwest football coach Clint Rider won’t make any predictions. He says there is no point in doing that. Pauley is such a talented athlete that Rider thinks he will thrive at any school, while playing any sport.
“He has a high ceiling in both sports,” Rider said. “Every one of our coaches would say that we’re blessed to have him in our program. He’s a pure athlete. You don’t see too many guys that are 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds and can move the way he does. He is great laterally. He is great vertically. But his ability to compartmentalize and enjoy the moment is what makes him special. He has an old-school mentality that allows him to be successful when he’s at football, baseball and basketball.”
For the longest time, Pauley seemed to have the brightest future in baseball. He began playing for a traveling team at a young age and started hearing from college recruiters as a freshman in high school. So that is the sport he mainly focused on.
It took him longer to flash his potential as a quarterback, but he helped Blue Valley Northwest go from no wins as a freshman to the playoffs as a junior. His ability to throw down field and absorb tackles as a runner set him apart as a dual-threat QB.
When a handful of FCS and mid-major coaches reached out to see if he had any interest in playing college football last fall, he took that as a sign that he should test his skills at camps this summer.
The idea of playing baseball and football in college has felt real ever since.
“He’s been a huge catalyst for getting our program going in the right direction,” Rider said. “He broke our career passing record, so his numbers and what he’s done speak for themselves. But his leadership and commitment to his teammates have also been a huge deal. I like to brag about him. He’s the type of kid who can do it all.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Meet the Nebraska baseball pledge from KC who KU, K-State are recruiting to play QB."