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As the Cincinnati Bengals continue to work out college prospects, they're now looking at someone who's spent more time on the hardwood than the gridiron.
According to Walter Football's Tony Pauline and College 2 Pro's Bo Marchionte, Western Kentucky's George Fant will work out for the Bengals.
Per source #NBA skilled #NFLDraft prospect George Fant workouts Bengals Broncos Cardinals Chargers Saints Seahawks pic.twitter.com/ahNXH6enAb
— College2Pro.com (@BoMarchionte) April 8, 2016
As you'll notice in that picture, Fant is a former basketball player for the Hilltoppers. During his college days, the 6'4", 250-pound big man averaged 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds for WKU in 2014-15. Once his college eligibility expired, Fant opted to pass on pro basketball to take a shot at the gridiron as a tight end.
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While Fant did make the Hilltoppers this past season, he caught just one pass for seven yards all year while playing some offensive tackle, too. That's not kept him from making a push for a spot on an NFL team as he's been training this offseason with current Bengals tackle Jake Fisher at Ignition APG with Clif Marshall. Interestingly, Fisher was a tight end in high school who became a college offensive tackle and last year with the Bengals played tackle and fullback when Ryan Hewitt was injured in the Bengals' Week 16 matchup against the Broncos.
Fant has bulked up tremendously since moving from basketball to football to the point he's now listed at 6'4" and 296 pounds. At WKU's Pro Day, Fant record a 37" vertical jump and a 4.83 40-yard dash in front of reps from 30 NFL teams, including the Bengals.
"Talking to some people, they said they haven't seen a guy my size really move like that or jump like that," Fant said. "I just try to be out there and be as explosive and athletic as possible."
At this point, Fant's best shot at making it in the NFL is developing on a practice squad for two to three years. He just doesn't have enough experience at any position to warrant a draft pick or 53-man roster spot being used on him this year. There have been several players to go from basketball stardom to make it in the NFL, but they've typically had more experience on the gridiron than what Fant brings. Prior to his final year in college, Fant hadn't played football since eighth grade!
Still, you can't help but root for Fant as he looks to make his NFL dreams a reality.