Hoover junior Robby Ashford understands he’ll eventually have to choose between football and baseball.
And he knows he doesn't have to make the decision anytime soon.
At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Ashford, a junior at Hoover, possesses tantalizing talent while triggering the Bucs’ spread offense in the fall and showcasing 5-tool ability on the baseball diamond in the spring.
"He's a superb athlete," Hoover football coach Josh Niblett said. "He has a lot of skill sets -- skill sets that Major League scouts are looking for and skill sets college football coaches are looking for. The game has evolved. He fits the way the game has evolved, and that's going to give him some great opportunities."
Ashford has narrowed his list of college options to eight schools, including Auburn, which he released via Twitter earlier this week. He said he prefers to make his college commitment this summer.
Ashford isn't the first two-sport star -- or quarterback -- from Alabama who has faced the football vs. baseball decision.
Hueytown’s Jameis Winston starred in football and baseball and played both briefly at Florida State before picking football full-time. He won the Heisman Trophy and became a first-round NFL draft choice.
In Mobile, Bubba Thompson starred as a quarterback and centerfielder at McGill-Toolen. He chose baseball after becoming a first-round MLB selection and is now considered one of the top prospects in the Texas Rangers organization.
Ashford said he talked to Thompson a few months ago. "He was like it was probably one of the best decisions he ever made, but it was a really tough one at the same time," Ashford said.
Ashford said he plans to play football and baseball in college.
“Every school has been like, ‘We’re on board with that,’” he said of his desire to play both sports in college. “Baseball coaches and football coaches have been talking together. They’ve all said they can’t wait for me to throw TDs and hit home runs, and they’ve talked about how they like two-sport guys.”
Things could change, he admits, if he's a high draft pick in the 2020 MLB Amateur Draft.
"What if I get drafted really high?" he said. "We'll see how that goes."
Ashford talked to AL.com at length earlier this week, and here’s key excerpts from the conversation:
Q: How are you balancing football recruiting with baseball season right now?
“I feel like I’m balancing it really good. Football coaches know that during baseball season here, it’s baseball first and football comes second. So, they understand I won’t be able to make every visit like I would during football season, and they’ve been very understanding with that.”
Q: Will you participate in spring football practice?
"It depends on whether we're still playing (baseball) or not if I'll be playing (football) this spring."
Q: Does the possibility of missing spring practice cause any anxiety?
“I don’t really think it does because I feel confident in my play, and I have one of the best quarterback coaches in the country in Atlanta, Tony Ballard, so he always gets me right. He got me right for fall practice (in 2018 after shoulder surgery) and got me feeling good.”
Q: Which one do you like better, baseball or football?
"I would say baseball is my first love, but football comes naturally, and I'm a guy, I like the emotion in football and just the factor of the emotion of it. Baseball has always been my first love. It was the first thing I picked up, so I've loved baseball my whole life."
Q: Will you be an early enrollee?
"No, I'm going to play my senior year (of baseball)."
Q: Is recruiting slower for you, because you're not an early enrollee and that will give you more time to make sure you make the right decision?
"I think it does. You don't have the pressure on that you're going to school in January, you don't have to take these extra classes (to graduate early). You can enjoy your summer and it still be filled with sports. I'd say it's not as hectic as it would be if I was enrolling early.
"I talked to my parents and they were like, 'You definitely need to play your senior season in baseball. You could be drafted in the first two rounds, maybe.' So, that's why I'm definitely staying."
Q: You plan to commit during the summer, but it seems you’ll see be in wait-and-see until the June 2020 MLB draft. So, you are preparing yourself to evaluate baseball even after you make a commitment and likely sign?
"For sure. That's definitely what me and my parents have been talking about. I don't have to sign if I get drafted really high. I would like to go to college, but if I get drafted high, I'd be dumb to pass that by."
Q: What do you like specifically about Auburn?
“I just like how the baseball and football programs get together, and the offense they run definitely fits my play style. It’s basically what we run here at Hoover. … Auburn is one of my top schools for sure.”
Q: Auburn got a QB commitment over the weekend. How much, or does it, influence your decision?
"I don't think it influences my decision. I'm a guy who likes to compete. I'm not a guy who's like, 'They got a commitment, let me back off,' because they've been pushing me since my freshman year. I know they're interested. I just like competition a lot. Whatever happens, happens."
Q: Is Alabama involved in your recruitment?
"A little bit. They want to see me throw because I was hurt when we played in 7on7 there (last summer)."
Q: You play in football-crazy Alabama, so many people assume you’ll pick football, but you haven’t made up your mind, right?
“I haven’t yet. I love football a lot, and I love baseball a lot, too. I feel like whichever one will take me the further, I’m going to go that road.”