Multi-platinum rapper Toosii posted on Instagram photos of himself in a Sac State football uniform and said he is feeling blessed to have received an offer from the Division I program.
“He might play football and be a singer for us at halftime,” said Sac State student athlete Preston Nunn. “We’ll see.”
Current Sac State student athletes that spoke with CBS 13 were shocked by excited by the news.
Sacramento State’s athletics department has been busy with recruiting. The basketball program now has Shaq as the general manager, and his son, Shaqir O’Neal, is on the team.
Student athletes think that the Toosii visit is not purely for publicity but shines a positive spotlight on the Hornets.
“I really hope they still give the people the youth a chance because this is something they have been working for, and obviously, he is working for it as well,” said Syniah Beverley, a sophomore on the track and field team.
Toosi’s Instagram shows that he has been grinding hard in the gym while on tour for his music.
He walked away from football in high school to pursue a rapping career. Since then, he has found success in his music career — climbing the charts and now playing in major arenas across the country with his music being heard by millions.
“It did kind of shock me at first because he did drop out of high school, so it kind of like threw me off,” said Nunn. “But hey, if he wants to come back to college and run a few routes, chase your dreams, and why not?”
The 25-year-old is back to balling, though, and said he is determined to play Division I football. He has already made visits to other Division I football programs at USC and Maryland.
Toosii’s sports agent, Bryan Miller, with “The Familie,” gave CBS 13 this statement about his client:
“He is such a phenomenal human being. What he’s doing takes real strength and determination… it’s wild because he can actually play, he’s an extremely talented athlete.
Him pursuing a comeback is not only courageous but it’s inspirational for the kids who look up to him and also have goals and aspirations of accomplishing their dreams… Lastly, his work ethic is contagious, on top of his demanding music schedule he’s grinding everyday and putting the work in physically and mentally to be ready for his opportunities with a program in January. I’m grateful to be helping him do something that we haven’t seen done before.
The culture at Sac State is potentially a match made in heaven, Coach Marion and CJ Pollard do a great job recruiting, they’ve been building something special down there. I can see Toosii making a real impact on the football field and in the community if he ends up there for spring ball.”
Sacramento State, per NCAA rules, could not comment on a potential student-athlete. The earliest a recruit could officially sign with the program would be in December.
Toosii hopes to be playing Division 1 ball by January. His agent did not have a clear answer to what this will mean for his music career – but said he hopes Toosii will be able to prove that you can excel at both.
“I think he’s a great performer and he knows how to have good stage presence. Hopefully, he can carry that to the field,” said Beverley.