West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe has a very bright future playing basketball professionally in the NBA, but imagine if he chose to play football for the Mountaineers instead of basketball.
This scenario was actually imagined by Jeremy Phoenix of the Raspy Voice Kids last summer before Tshiebwe had even stepped foot on the Coliseum floor. Tshiebwe reposted the question”What If?” and replied “What y’all think?”
What y'all think? https://t.co/6cKBJ7O4oo
— Big O (@Oscartshiebwe34) June 26, 2019
Although further exploration into the topic didn’t go on, the bottom line is that Tshiebwe’s size and athleticism would be virtually unstoppable if he was placed out wide as a receiver.
At 6’9 and 260 pounds, Tshiebwe would be an absolute specimen as a wide receiver or tight end. His size is the not the only thing that would make him an offensive force; Tshiebwe also runs better than most athletes his size.
According to West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins, ““He can really run. I don’t know that I’ve had very many bigs or played against very many bigs that can run better than he does.”
Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin both caught 114 passes in 2012 and share the record for single-season receptions at West Virginia. That record would be difficult to surpass for Tshiebwe, who grew up playing soccer in Africa and has likely never played American football, but his upside and potential would be through the roof. With real practice and time, he could easily grow into the most dominant offensive force in West Virginia football history.
Not only could he be virtually unstoppable offensively, he would certainly excel as an edge rusher on the defensive line. His quickness, athleticism and length would be a problem for any offensive lineman. Again, rushing the passer is something that football players are trained to do at an early age and it would take time for him to develop, but it’s hard to imagine a more prototypical raw athlete to become a force on the defensive line as an edge rusher.
Like LeBron James, who would also be an incredible football player at several different positions, Oscar Tshiebwe will likely never put on a helmet or pads, but he has the physical talents to be one of the very best players ever if he did.
