(SEATTLE) — With his NBA dreams on hold, a former college basketball star is now looking to reach the pros in another sport — football.
Former Baylor Bears standout Mark Vital has signed with the Seattle Seahawks, joining the practice squad as a tight end, the team said Thursday.
Listed at 6’5″ and 250 pounds, Vital started for the national title winning Baylor team last season. After he was not selected in the spring’s NBA draft, he briefly played with the Portland Trail Blazers summer league team.
Earlier this week, though, he said he would pursue a football career, and now he has taken the next step.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Vital hasn’t played football since middle school. Still, one NFL scout described him as a “big, raw athletes” and highlighted his natural ball skills.
He wouldn’t be the first former college basketball player to succeed with Seattle, who converted George Fant to offensive tackle after signing him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Fant later signed a $27.3 million contract with the New York Jets.
Vital scored 5.6 points and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game in his senior year at Baylor. He was also a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive season.
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