5 Oklahoma athletes who could play a different sport for the Sooners

Oklahoma men's tennis player Bruno Nhavene going viral and Sooner Nation clamoring for Nhavene to walk on to the football team had we wondering, what other current athletes at OU could play a different sport for the Sooners?

It's not like this an uncommon feat at OU between Kyler Muray and Cody Thomas and more. Athletes at this level are also talented enough to succeed at almost anything they want to.

So between past experiences or even just looks, what OU athletes could probably play a different sport for the Sooners right now?

Bruno Nhavene

Actual sport: men's tennis
Other sport: football

Let's begin with the man who started all this.

A picture of Bruno Nhavene went viral because of his monstrous build. He really does look more like a football player than tennis star, and OU's website has him listed at 6-foot-3.

Nhavene has already made a deal that if 500 fans show up to a tennis match, then he'll try out for the OU football team.

Jacob Henry

Actual sport: wrestling
Other sport: football

When Jacob Henry signed with the Sooners, I did actually think it might be as a two-sport athlete.

Henry's best sport is wrestling, but he was also a three-star defensive lineman in the 2023 class out of Austin, Texas. He wrestles at 285 pounds, but was listed only at 6-foot in high school. Henry drew interest from some Power Four football programs but got offers only from a handful of FCS programs.

Had Henry been 6-foot-4 instead, he might actually be playing for Brent Venables, and as an elite wrestler, his footwork would be impeccable on the defensive line.

Taylor Heim

Actual sport: football
Other sport: track & field

Taylor Heim is now playing linebacker for the Sooners, but he could certainly make the jump to a different sport (literally).

Heim was an Oklahoma state champion long jumper for Bethany High School. His mark of 21 feet and 8.5 inches as a senior in high school would have been good enough to place ninth at the Big 12 championship if he competed last year.

Ivan Carreon

Actual sport: football
Other sport: men's basketball

There's no known history here, but purely based off watching Ivan Carreon on a football field as a wide receiver.

Carreon is one of the tallest players the Sooners have at 6-foot-6, so obviously he has the size to play Division-I basketball. He can also out jump a defensive back and pluck a pass out of the air, so surely he can pull in a lot of rebounds, too.

Porter Moser could use some help rebounding down low right now, so maybe he should make a call down to the football office.

Jacobe Johnson

Actual sport: football
Other sport: basketball

Jacobe Johnson legitimately could have played a different sport for the Sooners.

At 6-foot-2, Johnson had Power 4 offers out of Mustang High School in both football and basketball, including from OU. He ultimately chose football, and has even been versatile just as a football player, too. Listed as a cornerback, Johnson also played some wide receiver for the Sooners this season when they were plagued with injuries.

Bonus: Taylor Tatum / James Nesta

Actual sport: football
Other sport: baseball

OK, so maybe this is cheating a little bit, which is why I paired them together as a bonus.

Taylor Tatum and James Nesta both signed as two-sport athletes from the 2024 class to play football and baseball for the Sooners.

Tatum exploded onto the scene this season as a freshman running back. That speed and explosiveness will now help him in the outfield.

Nesta appeared in only one football game this season as a linebacker, but he could make a quicker impact for the baseball team as a right-handed pitcher. At 6-foot-3, Nester was the No. 10 prospect in the state of North Carolina from the 2024 class.