Basketball practice is beginning across the country but some of the nation's best players still have touchdowns to catch and playoff games to win before they can trade their cleats for sneakers.
With high school football heading into the postseason, the deeper their teams advance, the longer their basketball coaches will have to wait.
Ahmad Hudson of
Ruston (La.) leads a group of athletes worth waiting for. Louisiana's reigning MaxPreps Player of the Year on the hardwood averaged 19.7 points and 13.4 rebounds last season. A MaxPreps Junior All-American in football, the LSU commitment plans to play both sports in college.
Jaxon Dollar has been tough to tackle in North Carolina this season, helping East Lincoln average 43.1 points per game en route to a 9-1 record. (PHOTO: Brad Arrowood)
At
East Lincoln (Denver, N.C.),
Jaxon Dollar has been piling up numbers that would stand out in either sport. The Georgia football commitment has caught 76 passes for 1,508 yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 games this season. On the basketball court, he averaged 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists last winter while earning all-state recognition.
Seneca Driver of
Boyle County (Danville, Ky.) brings a similar combination of size, skill and versatility. The Oklahoma-bound tight end helped the Rebels win the 2025 Class 4A football championship and earned the classification's Player of the Year award from the Kentucky Football Coaches Association. He followed that with basketball averages of 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Hudson, Dollar and Driver headline our look at the top 10 football-basketball standouts, identifying the nation's best two-sport athletes on the gridiron and the hardwood.
Top 10 football-basketball standouts
1. Ahmad Hudson, Ruston (La.)
6-7 | 235 | Senior | Tight End | Power ForwardBasketball stats/honors: Averaged 19.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 assists per game in 2025–26 en route to earning MaxPreps Louisiana Player of the Year.
Football stats/honors: 38 receptions, 581 yards and six touchdowns. First team MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2025.
What's next: LSU in 2027, with plans to play football and basketball.
2. Jaxon Dollar, East Lincoln (Denver, N.C.)
6-5 | 235 | Senior | Tight End | Small Forward
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks in 27 games in 2025–26. Second team NCBCA All-State.
Football stats/honors: 76 receptions, 1,508 yards and 18 touchdowns, plus 66 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. HighSchoolOT All-State selection in 2025.
What's next: Committed to Georgia for football in 2027.
3. Seneca Driver, Boyle County (Danville, Ky.)
6-7 | 220 | Senior | Tight End | Small Forward
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds in 24 listed games in 2025–26
Football stats/honors: 30 receptions, 430 yards and eight touchdowns. Kentucky Football Coaches Association Class 4A Player of the Year and MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2025.
What's Next: Committed to Oklahoma for football in 2027, projecting as a tight end.
4. Elijah Haven, Dunham (Baton Rouge, La.)
6-5 | 235 | Senior | Quarterback | Small Forward
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 14.4 points in 2025-26 and earned first team LSWA Class 2A All-State honors.
Football stats/honors::675 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, plus 437 rushing yards and five touchdowns, in four posted 2026 appearances. He missed four weeks with a shoulder injury. MaxPreps Louisiana Player of the Year and first team MaxPreps Junior All-American in 2025.
What's next: Committed to Alabama for football in 2027 as a quarterback.
5. Kaleb Ballard, Wetumpka (Ala.)
6-5 | 210 | Junior | Tight End | Small Forward
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 16.2 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots per game in 2025-26, leading Wetumpka in all three categories.
Football stats/honors: 32 receptions, 626 yards and seven touchdowns.
What's next: Expected to return to Wetumpka for his senior year in 2027-28.
6. Tytan McNeal, Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.)
6-6 | 228 | Junior | Tight End | Small ForwardBasketball stats/honors: Averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game. Named Metro League Sound Division Defensive Player of the Year in 2026.
Football stats/honors:16 receptions, 286 yards and four touchdowns. MaxPreps Sophomore All-American in 2025.
What's next: Expected to return to Eastside Catholic for his senior year in 2027-28.
7. Kavian Bryant, Westwood (Palestine, Texas)
6-3 | 195 | Senior | Quarterback | Shooting Guard
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 26.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game in 2025-26. TABC Class 3A All-State selection.
Football stats/honors: 8,465 yards passing entering senior year with 107 touchdown passes.
What's next: Committed to Texas Tech for football. The school also pursued him for basketball.
8. Trey Wright, Lone Star (Frisco, Texas)
5-11 | 185 | Junior | Quarterback | Point Guard
Basketball stats/honors: A 2025–26 first team all-district selection in the Dallas-area.
Football stats/honors: 2,417 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, plus 832 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. MaxPreps Sophomore All-American in 2025.
What's next: Expected to return to Lone Star for his senior year in 2027-28,
9. Xavien Littleton, Coffee (Douglas, Ga.)
6-5 | 275 | Sophomore | Defensive End | Power Forward
Basketball stats/honors: Averaged 17.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.9 assists per game in 2025-26.
Football stats/honors: 408 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 59 carries.
What's next: Expected to return to Coffee as a junior in 2027-28.
10. Traviian Miller, Clinch County (Homerville, Ga.)
6-2 | 180 | Junior | Quarterback | Guard
Basketball stats/honors: Recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the state championship victory over Portal.
Football stats/honors: 747 passing yards and six touchdowns, plus 338 rushing yards and two touchdowns in eight posted 2026 games. Region 2-A Division II Offensive Player of the Year in 2025.
What's next: Expected to return to Clinch County for his senior year in 2027-28.
