While it is impossible to differentiate between the athletic ability of a basketball player and a baseball player, the members of The George-Anne Sports Staff engaged in a heated debate to assemble our top five athletes at Georgia Southern University.

To be submitted for debate an athlete had to be nominated by one of the seven members of the staff who believed them to be the most dominant athlete in their sport. The assessment was based only on the performance from the current academic year.

No. 5:

No. 4:

No. 3:

No. 2:

No. 1:

Jerick Mckinnon

The obvious pick for the most dominant athlete at Georgia Southern University is senior quarterback Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon is a special athlete, one of the most versatile offensive weapons to set foot in Allen E. Paulson Stadium, and the catalyst in the Eagles’ win over the University of Florida. Totaling 1,050 yards on the ground this past season, McKinnon finished his career as an Eagle sitting at third all-time on the GSU career rushing yards list. McKinnon continued his stellar season with an outstanding showing at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash. Conveying to scouts his strength in addition to his speed, the likely late-round draft pick knocked out 32 reps in the 225-lb bench press. The remarkable aspect of his performance on the bench is that McKinnon placed eighth on the list of all offensive players tested at the Combine. McKinnon was eighth in the top-15, where 13 of the athletes were offensive lineman and the other was a tight-end. If that’s not a dominant athlete, I don’t know what is.