Who is John Rhys Plumlee? How the UCF QB handled football and baseball as a dual-sport athlete

John Rhys Plumlee is a college football quarterback and center fielder at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Plumlee led the Knights to a 9-4 record on the gridiron last season. Their season culminated in a 29-17 win in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl over Florida.

The senior is also hitting .289 and has snagged 18 stolen bases for the UCF baseball team this year. The Knights are 33-24 and remain alive in the American Athletic Conference Championship tournament.

Plumee was a two-way star at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He committed to Ole Miss as a four-star recruit. He started three seasons in high school and was named 2019 5A/6A All-State in his final baseball season at Oak Grove.

Plumlee, an original commit to Georgia, picked Ole Miss over Auburn, Alabama and Notre Dame, among others.

John Rhys Plumlee's football career

John Rhys Plumlee immediately became a factor for Ole Miss. He was the backup quarterback to Matt Carroll as a true freshman in 2019 but managed to run for 1,023 yards and 12 scores in nine games. The six-foot gunslinger again remained Carroll's backup in 2020, and although Plumlee played a significantly lesser role as a quarterback, the star hauled in six receptions for 79 yards.

The following season he moved to wide receiver full-time. He finished the season with 19 receptions for 201 yards and 72 rushing yards on nine carries.

Plumlee entered the transfer portal at the end of his junior year, finally getting his chance as the starting quarterback at UCF. He opened his senior season with a bang, going 20-for-31 for 308 yards and four passing touchdowns against South Carolina State.

The dual-threat quarterback also added 100 yards and a score on the ground. He followed up his massive performance with a stinker against Louisville in a loss but then led UCF on a four-game winning streak.

His best performance came against Temple, accumulating seven total touchdowns in a lopsided victory. Plumlee finished the year with 2,586 passing yards, 862 rushing yards, and 25 touchdowns in 13 games.

John Rhys Plumlee on the baseball diamond

John Rhys Plumlee saw lesser action on the diamond as a true freshman. He had just one hit in 16 at-bats before the season came to a screeching halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outfielder played a reserve role as a sophomore but posted a respectable .799 OPS. In addition, he stole seven bags and hit the first home run of his career.

During his first year with the UCF Knights, Plumlee significantly improved. He hit ten home runs, drove in 32 runs, stole 18 bases, and had 52 hits in 223 plate appearances.

He is one of the top seven players on the team in terms of hits, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, steals, and walks.

Multi-Sport stars at the college level

John Rhys Plumlee isn't the first multi-sport star at the college level. NFL greats Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham played college football and basketball before starting for the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints, respectively.

However, the most famous multi-sport athletes remain Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson. Sanders played three sports at Florida State before playing 10-plus seasons in Major League Baseball and becoming a Hall of Famer in the NFL.

Jackson won the Heisman Trophy as a runningback at Auburn and hit .338 in three collegiate baseball seasons. He was an MLB All-Star and NFL Pro-Bowler before injuries derailed his career.

John Rhys Plumlee has a chance to etch his name among one of the better two-sport athletes in recent memory.