Charlotte Christian junior two-sport standout Ty Linton wants to play both baseball and football as long as possible.
On Friday, he said he has committed to do both at the University of North Carolina. Linton has accepted a football scholarship and said the Tar Heel baseball coaches have agreed to take over his scholarship if football doesn't work out and he moves full time to baseball.
Linton, who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, has been a North Carolina fan since moving to the state from Chicago eight years ago.
"It fits me both baseball wise and football wise," he said. "It's all-around a good school, academically a great school."
Linton, one of the school's trio of BCS school-recruited linebackers, had more than a dozen offers. He recently had narrowed his top five to Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia and West Virginia, along with North Carolina.
He was recruited as an outside linebacker but said he has been told he could be a utility player who works at safety and even some positions on offense. In baseball, he is a center fielder who batted about .415 with 12 home runs this spring as a junior.
"He's really good at both sports,' said his football coach, Jason Estep. "He's going to get drafted for baseball next year, and that may throw another element into all this. He's a safe bet to go in the top ten rounds, maybe even in the top five."
Linton said he would consider forgoing college and going straight into professional baseball if he receives "a good sum of money" as a signing bonus following the 2010 draft. He is glad to have his college decision made so he can focus on showcasing his baseball talent for scouts this summer.
The recruiting focus on Linton has exploded in recent months.
"More and more people saw what he can do; his athleticism and speed," Estep said. "That's so important in the college game today. If they want him to play immediately, I feel he can do that. If he needs to wait awhile, he can do that as well."
Linton has been clocked at 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and projects as an outside linebacker in college. He is the Tar Heels' second public commitment for football in the Class of 2010.
- Stan Olson and Ken Tysiac
