Ex-LSU coach thought Zion Williamson could be ‘best tight end to ever live’

Zion Williamson is already taking the college basketball world by storm with his freakish athleticism, and at least one college football coach feels the Duke star could accomplish similar feats on the gridiron.

Eric Mateos, a Texas State offensive line coach, told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello that he offered Williamson a scholarship to play football at LSU when he was working as an assistant under then-interim head coach Ed Orgeron back in 2016. Williamson grabbed Mateos’ attention the same way he grabbed everyone else’s — with his incredible dunking videos on YouTube.

“I thought, hell, why not, he’s probably the best damn tight end to ever live,” Mateos said.

Mateos said he never heard back from Williamson and that Orgeron likely never even knew about the offer. At the very least, he thought offering one of the most exciting young basketball players in the country a football scholarship would be “good exposure” for LSU.

“Coach O said go recruit the best athletes in the country, and that’s what I tried to do,” Mateos added. “Any time you have an athlete that can generate that much explosive power in a controlled manner, that’s a level of elite that translates to a bunch of different football positions.”

Williamson is 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, which would make him the same size as some of the premier defensive linemen in football. We’ve heard countless debates about whether LeBron James would thrive as a tight end in the NFL, and lifelong football players will tell you it is not as simple as having size and athletic ability.

We can’t say whether Williamson would excel playing football, but you need look no further than some of the monstrous dunks he has already thrown down this season to know his potential on the basketball court.