Bryce Boettcher planted his feet in the middle of the field, got a jump on the ball in the air and made a diving catch for …
An underneath interception against UCLA? A hit-saving catch in the left-center-field gap against Seattle?
Boettcher is Oregon’s baseball-football star (and former two-sport walk-on) who was selected in the 13th round of MLB’s 2024 draft by the Astros but delayed the start of his minor league career to see how far he can go on the gridiron.
He is expected to be a mid-round pick in next week’s NFL draft as a linebacker and core four-phase special-teamer.
“You can’t hit anyone on the baseball field,” Boettcher said at the NFL combine. “I love baseball, but [football] makes me feel alive. And there’s a reason I’m here.”
Boettcher isn’t going to be confused with Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders. But, in an era of one-sport specialization in youth, he is a model for a dying breed.
“He’s smart, tough, instinctive and plays faster than he was timed,” one NFL executive told The Post. “He should be a good special-teamer and compete to start — if not be a good third linebacker. He’s done a good job making it known that he is focused on football.”
Baseball was Boettcher’s first love — Derek Jeter was his favorite athlete during childhood — and his ticket to stay in his hometown of Eugene, Ore., fulfilling a lifelong dream to be a Duck.
He flashed an elite glove but struggled with the bat before walking into new football coach Dan Lanning’s office and asking for a tryout in 2022.
If anything, joining the football team and developing a hard-hitting reputation seemed to elevate Boettcher’s baseball career.
On April 29, 2023, Boettcher played in Oregon’s spring football game and later hustled over to the baseball diamond to enter the game as a ninth-inning defensive replacement. By 2024, he was the NCAA’s Gold Glove-winning center fielder who hit .276 with 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
Boettcher was evaluated by baseball scouts as a long-striding, graceful center fielder who relied more on natural physical ability than refined skills.
He was cast as a value pick for an organization willing to bet on high makeup and blossoming tools such as raw power and a short stroke to pull a fastball.
“Excellent athlete with hard-nose style to play, similar to Eric Byrnes,” one MLB scout told The Post’s Joel Sherman. “But the bat comes with risk to get to major leagues.”
The Astros took a flier in a draft slot with a $150,000 signing bonus and supported Boettcher’s decision to go all in on football.
“[Baseball] is on hold right now,” Boettcher said. “I’m pursuing fully football, and I want to win a Super Bowl. Obviously we’re waiting to see how the draft shakes out, but [the Astros] have been super understanding, knowing that I’m from Oregon and wanted to finish out my football career there and that I have an equal opportunity in football.”
What happened when Boettcher became singularly focused?
He won the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy as the best FBS player who began his career as a walk-on and reached another level with 136 tackles (No. 6 in the nation) in 2025. He is a missile on punt and kickoff coverage and an option to block kicks.
And he threw out a ceremonial first pitch at an Oregon baseball game while wearing shoulder pads.
“I haven’t met someone who is as passionate about [football] and plays as hard as I do,” Boettcher said. “I feel like that’s No. 1 in football. Somebody who is passionate and somebody who is physical is going to win you a lot of games — and that’s me.”
Another NFL executive said that, in his organization’s eyes, Boettcher’s viable Plan B if he struggles in football is not a deterrent that could lead to drafting a lesser player without a fallback option. Boettcher’s “intangibles” give him a boost over other mid-round linebackers.
“Most proud about … the way I’ve grown when it comes to the mental game of football,” Boettcher said. “When I first came in, I was more raw. I knew what Cover 3 and Cover 2 was. But there are a lot more ins and outs to the game that I’ve learned, and that’s definitely helped my game grow.”
