Bills Central

Legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo praises Bills rookie WR: 'I love him'

Despite Keon Coleman's voluntary departure from Michigan State, legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo still has a strong relationship with the Buffalo Bills rookie.

Kyle Silagyi

Former Michigan State football receiver Keon Coleman wears a Steven Izzo jeresey during the senior night celebration after the game against Northwestern on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Former Michigan State football receiver Keon Coleman wears a Steven Izzo jeresey during the senior night celebration after the game against Northwestern on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA
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Keon Coleman’s path to the NFL was not necessarily dissimilar to that of the typical contemporary second-round draft pick. A four-star recruit out of Opelousas Catholic School in Louisiana’s Acadiana region, the wide receiver initially committed to Michigan State, appearing in 22 games and catching 65 passes throughout his two-year stint with the Spartans before transferring to Florida State for his junior season. He came down with 11 touchdowns throughout his sole campaign in Tallahassee, prompting the Buffalo Bills to select him with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

There is an interesting accoutrement to Coleman’s career, however, a factoid that sets him apart from other rookies: he was briefly a dual-sport collegiate athlete. A high school basketball star who averaged 26.0 points per game as a junior, the big-bodied athlete was also recruited to Michigan State to play on the hardwood. He appeared in six games for the Spartans basketball team throughout the 2021–22 season, developing a relationship with legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo that’s as strong today as it was when Coleman played for the near-30-year veteran. 

A former National Champion who has led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances, Izzo knows a special athlete when he sees one. Coleman checked all of the boxes; Izzo, in fact still remembers watching his high school tape, speaking about the experience during a recent interview with WIVB’s Josh Reed.

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“I said damn!” Izzo joked. “But Kansas was trying to get him a little bit, too. I told our football coach at the time, yeah, I’m going to recruit him, and I watched them, and I watched film on him.”

Coleman has long prioritized football over basketball and was, thus, never able to fully commit all available resources to hoops. Izzo believes that this is the only thing that held the athlete back from being a more impactful player for his program, telling Reed that Coleman “could’ve played basketball here if basketball was his sport.” The two mutually agreed that it would be wise for Coleman to focus solely on football ahead of the 2022–23 basketball season, and the receiver transferred to Florida State shortly thereafter.

Coleman’s decision, however, did not impact his relationship with the decorated coach, as the two are still in frequent communication. Per Izzo, this isn't a necessarily normal occurrence between a coach and a departed player.

“Keon, he’s kind of an interesting guy,” Izzo told Reed. “He can be a little quirky and corny. But he is a fun guy and he’s a hell of a player. He made some plays here in football, and even in basketball, he’s very intelligent. Picks up stuff immediately. He’s got a big heart; he did leave here, he left here, we had some issues football-wise. He did leave here going into his junior year, but he came by here before he left. I tried to convince him to stay, but for the most part, he’s a very loyal guy, too. He came back for Senior Night here just for basketball. 

“I think he’s going to be a good teammate, I think he’s going to be an incredible receiver. He’s got speed, he’s got strength, he’s got tremendous hops, and he can go up and get the ball. I know you’ve got a good quarterback, and I thought when you drafted him, I said ‘Wow, what a great fit for our boy Keon.’ I love him, I still stay in contact with him, which is odd when a kid leaves, I mean he didn’t leave my program, he left football. I still stay in touch with him because I respect him, I respect his process, and I’m hoping he has a long, good career and all of you Buffalo fans can get back [to] and win a Super Bowl.”

Keon Coleman
Michigan State's Keon Coleman, right, drives to the basket as Michigan's Moussa Diabate defends during the second half on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. 220129 Msu Mich 264a / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Izzo proudly looks on from across Lake Erie as Coleman commences his NFL career, even watching the rookie’s now iconic introductory press conference in which he expressed his love of cookies and shared timely shopping tips. The former AP College Basketball Coach of the Year called Coleman after his humorous presser, telling him to tone it down just a tad.

“He called me all the time, man,” Izzo said. “We’ve just got a relationship, and he’s got a personality, sometimes you’ve got to temper it a little bit. When I saw his press conference, I just laughed. I called him, I said ‘Hey, settle down a little bit.’ [He said he’s] just having fun, and that’s what I think he is. I think he’s a guy that can have fun and yet, he can lock in when it’s time to play.”

A ringing endorsement from one of the most decorated and tenured coaches in the history of college sports is encouraging regardless of said coach’s sport of preference. Though Izzo didn’t have the opportunity to work with Coleman for as long as he would’ve liked, he’s still rooting for the rookie as he embarks on his professional career in a different Great Lakes region. The Buffalo faithful will have the opportunity to watch Coleman ‘lock in’ for the first time when Bills training camp commences at St. John Fisher University on July 24.

You can watch Reed’s full interview with Izzo below:

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Kyle Silagyi

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