Former pro basketball player turned TE recruit Nathaniel Salmon has top five schools

New Zealand’s Nathaniel Salmon has taken quite the unconventional route to get to college football.

A former professional basketball player, Salmon went on the NFL International Player Pathway at the beginning of this year. He was invited to the Los Angeles Chargers’ mini-camp, but was not signed.

Upon realizing college was an option, Salmon went through the NCAA Clearinghouse. This summer, he was granted four years of eligibility. Now, the 21-year-old tight end recruit is trying to figure out where he wants to play college football next season.

He’s accumulated five Power Four offers, and on Thursday, he told Rivals that they are officially his top schools: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Utah and West Virginia.

When speaking with Rivals’ Adam Gorney earlier this week, Salmon discussed his journey, which is only just getting underway in some respects. He has official visits lined up to Arizona State (Nov. 13) and Utah (Nov. 20) so far.

“It’s happening so fast,” Salmon said. “I’ve never been to a football game to be honest.”

The Salmon family does have some familiarity with college athletics, as his sister played basketball at BYU and his brother-in-law played at Utah. Still, this is a whole new experience for the former pro hooper who played in Australia.

“I’m thankful for what football has done for me,” he said. “It’s done way more than basketball has ever done for me even though I’ve been loyal to it my whole life.”

He’ll be in Tempe and Salt Lake City later this month. It remains to be seen when Salmon will come to a decision, but his process will be one to follow as he brings one of the more interesting stories in recent recruiting history to the table.