UCF’s John Rhys Plumlee to skip final season of baseball to focus on NFL draft
UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee has decided to forgo his final season of baseball eligibility to focus on a possible career in the NFL.
Plumlee announced his decision on social media Saturday.
“It’s always been my dream to play football and baseball at the highest level,” Plumlee said in a post on X. “I am blessed at the opportunities given to me to live this dream for so long. I am often asked which sport I love more and I’m grateful that I never had to choose. However, the day has come for me to decide which sport to pursue.
“After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.”
Plumlee split time playing baseball and football at Ole Miss and UCF.
He appeared in 47 games in two seasons (2020-21) with the Rebels, batting .224 with a home run, 8 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases before transferring to UCF in 2021. With the Knights, the Mississippi native appeared in 58 games in center field, batting .286 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in the 2022-23 season.
He wrapped up a five-year football career in which he completed 61% of his passes for 5,838 yards with 34 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Plumlee also rushed for 2,556 yards with 26 touchdowns.
This past season, he missed three games after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 against Boise State. Upon his return, he was forced to wear a knee brace for the remainder of the season.
Plumlee played multiple sports growing up in Hattiesburg, sometimes going from after-school basketball practice to a soccer game later that evening. He was also splitting time between football and baseball. But before ninth grade, his parents finally asked him to cut back his sports schedule and he chose to stick with football and baseball.
He excelled at Oak Grove High, where he was a .395 hitter in four varsity seasons, finishing with 7 home runs, 75 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in 111 career games, per MaxPreps.com.
The connection between football and baseball was so strong that when Plumlee went on his college recruiting visits, he only wanted to go somewhere where he could play both sports.
“If they weren’t 100% in on that, then he wasn’t interested in going there,” Plumlee’s father, Denton, told the Sentinel in August. “His plan from the beginning was to play both sports.”
UCF football transfer tracker: Knights adds DE Daylan Dotson
Plumlee split time between the sports this past spring, participating in football practice in the morning before attending baseball games in the afternoon.
Those two worlds collided on April 15 when he took part in an afternoon baseball game against Memphis before racing to FBC Mortgage Stadium for the spring football game.
“To baseball: Thank you for some of my favorite memories and some of my best friends,” Plumlatement. “From playing T-ball and learning about the game to long weekend road trips and travel ball, I cherish many hours of practicing with my Pops and with my teammates.
“This is a difficult goodbye, but dang, it has been so fun.”
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.