From YouTube stardom to boxing success, Jake Paul has not been reluctant to make a career switch. And it looks like he’s already planning his next move. After eventually hanging up his boxing gloves, Paul says he wants to switch from the ring to the gridiron and try playing in the NFL. However, the route to the NFL runs through college football, and that’s where he wants to start.

“I do have NFL aspirations after boxing, and I want to play slot receiver, so I think that getting that experience, college first, would be good. So, I could walk onto the Stanford team. “I wanna play on the Stanford football team, actually. I’m being serious,” Paul said on The a16z Show.

The 29-year-old isn’t joking around. His initial plan was to start playing for the Cleveland Browns or Dallas Cowboys straightaway. But then he put a pin in that plan, thinking maybe Todd Monken and Brian Schottenheimer would want to see him run rounds first. Hence came the idea of starting low in college football, and not just any, but Stanford.

If that ever happens, it will send shockwaves, given the strict NCAA eligibility guidelines. Strangely, he does not want to go to Ohio State, even though it is his favorite team, and he is an Ohio native who played high school football in Ohio. Paul attended Westlake High School before skipping college to pursue a full-time career as a social media influencer/content creator.

There is no doubt that Paul has turned his YouTube presence into a career in a sport none of us would have thought of, but he persevered. While the internet went gaga over this decision, an NFL star, Antonio Brown, also shared his views. As per Brown, “Dude would get [expletive] rocked.”

Although boxing requires a lot of toughness, Paul has experienced that firsthand, but getting punched by aging heavyweights and running routes against NFL linebackers and safeties 10 years younger than you is a different story. Taking hits from defenders who have trained their whole lives for this profession can even end badly for players who have spent years in the game.

And then there’s the complication of what it really takes to get into Stanford. It’s highly likely Paul won’t remember what he scored in high school. Some colleges are lenient toward student-athletes, accepting even a 2.0 GPA. For Stanford, the GPA should be at least 3.5. So, it doesn’t look plausible that Paul would walk on in Tavita Pritchard’s team.

NFL expert’s view on Jake Paul’s career switch

Jake Paul’s latest ambitions have recently attracted attention, including from NFL insider Jacob Infante. He has raised concerns not because he doubts his athleticism, but because, for someone who has not played college football, the position he wants to play is rather demanding.

“But you’re looking at a really difficult jump to the pros for somebody who didn’t play college football. He’s a good athlete, obviously, but the fact of the matter is wide receiver, a slot receiver factors in so much more than just being athletic,” Infante said on Football Debate Club.

He is far from hanging up his gloves right now, but when he does, college football will be in for some drama. Or we can see a complete U-turn in a few days.