Legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo praises Bills rookie WR: ‘I love him’

Keon Coleman’s path to the NFL hasn’t been much different than your typical contemporary second-round draft pick. A four-star recruit out of Opelousas Catholic School in Louisiana’s Acadiana region, the receiver originally committed to Michigan State, appearing in 22 games and catching 65 passes over his two years with the Spartans before transferring to Florida State for his junior season. He threw for 11 touchdowns in his lone campaign in Tallahassee, prompting the Buffalo Bills to select him with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Coleman’s career has one interesting element, though, one that sets him apart from other recruits: He was briefly a dual-sport varsity athlete. A high school basketball star who averaged 26.0 points per game as a junior, the big-bodied athlete was also recruited by Michigan State to play on the court. He suited up for six games for the Spartans’ basketball team during the 2021-22 season, developing a relationship with legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo that is as strong today as it was when Coleman played for the nearly 30-year veteran.

A former national champion who led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances, Izzo knows a special athlete when he sees one. Coleman ticked all the boxes; Izzo, in fact, still remembers watching his high school tape, speaking about the experience in a recent interview with WIVB’s Josh Reed.

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“I said, f*** it,” Izzo joked. “But Kansas was also trying to get him a little bit. I told our football coach at the time, yeah, I’m going to recruit him, and I looked at them, and I looked at tape of him.”

Coleman has long prioritized American football over basketball and has never been able to devote all of his available resources to basketball as a result. Izzo believes that this is the only thing that has kept the athlete from being a more influential player for his program, telling Reed that Coleman “could have played basketball here if basketball was his sport.” The two mutually agreed that it would be wise for Coleman to focus solely on football before the 2022-23 basketball season, and the receiver transferred to Florida State shortly thereafter.

Coleman’s decision hasn’t impacted his relationship with the decorated coach, however, as the two men are still in frequent communication. According to Izzo, that’s not necessarily a normal occurrence between a coach and a player who has left.

“Keon, he’s an interesting guy,” Izzo told Reed. “He can be a little weird and nerdy. But he’s a fun guy and he’s a hell of a player. He made some plays here in football, and even in basketball, he’s very smart. He learns right away. He’s got a big heart; he left here, he left here, we had some problems football-wise. He left here at the beginning of his sophomore year, but he came here before he left. I tried to convince him to stay, but for the most part, he’s also a very loyal guy. He came back for senior night here just for basketball.”

“I think he’ll be a great teammate, I think he’ll be an incredible receiver. He’s got speed, he’s got strength, he’s got an incredible jumper, and he can go up and get the ball. I know you guys have a great quarterback, and I thought when you drafted him, ‘Wow, what a great pick for our boy Keon.’ I love him, I still keep in touch with him, which is weird when a kid leaves, I mean he didn’t leave my program, he left football. I still keep in touch with him because I respect him, I respect his process, and I hope he has a long, great career and you Buffalo fans can come back and win a Super Bowl.”

Izzo proudly watched from across Lake Erie as Coleman began his NFL career, even attending the rookie’s now-iconic introductory news conference, during which he expressed his love of cookies and shared timely shopping advice. The former AP College Basketball Coach of the Year called Coleman out after his humorous news conference, telling him to tone it down just a little bit.

“He was calling me all the time, man,” Izzo said. “We have a relationship, and he’s got a personality, sometimes you have to tone it down a little bit. When I saw his press conference, I just laughed. I called him and I said, ‘Hey, calm down a little bit.’ (He said he) was having fun, and that’s what I think he is. I think he’s a guy that can have fun and yet, he can focus when it’s time to play.”

The full support of one of the most decorated and longest-tenured coaches in college sports history is encouraging, regardless of the coach’s chosen sport. While Izzo didn’t get to work with Coleman for as long as he would have liked, he continues to support the rookie as he begins his professional career in another Great Lakes region. Buffalo fans will get a chance to see Coleman “commit” for the first time when the Bills’ training camp begins at St. John Fisher University on July 24.

You can watch Reed’s full interview with Izzo below:

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