Over the past four years Johnathan Loyd has been playing point guard for the Oregon Ducks. A four-year starter, Loyd has finished his career as a Duck basketball player as the winningest player in the history of the University of Oregon with a record of 97-37. But now that his collegiate basketball career is over, Loyd will try to play with a different ball while wearing a Ducks uniform.
Pre-NCAA rules, an athlete is only allowed to play a sport for four years. But that same athlete is allowed to compete in a fifth year if that fifth year is in a different sport.
And Loyd wants to team up with Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu and Thomas Tyner to play for the Ducks football team. In his last year playing for the Ducks’ basketball team, Loyd averaged 7 points and 4.7 assists per game while averaging 45.9 percent in field goals and 34.6 percent from three-point range. He was a very important part of the Ducks team that made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Standing at 5-foot-8, Loyd has proven himself as an elite athlete while playing for Dana Altman. The Ducks football program has established an ability to take elite athletes and make them into very effective football players, especially in the skill position. Many recent Oregon greats like LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner all were elite athletes who were stellar with the ball in their hands.
Loyd played football at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. As a cornerback and kick returner, Loyd helped lead the Bishop Gorman High School football team to a 4A State Title. He was also the First Team All-State return man in 2009, averaging 32.6 yards per punt return with five touchdowns.
And Loyd is coming into the football program at a great time because the Ducks need more receiving depth. Keanon Lowe, one of the few receivers who are returning from last year, said that Loyd looked good at spring practice. “It’s his first day in four years playing football, and he’s out here with the Oregon Ducks and holding his own,” Lowe said. “You can tell he’s a natural football player. And I don’t think I saw his drop one pass all day.”
Good basketball players require good hands and the ability to keep the ball in possession. History shows that basketball skills and football skills are sometimes interchangeable. NFL greats Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham both started off as basketball players and became top-level football players at ball catching positions. Even NBA great LeBron James was an all-state wide receiver in high school.
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