Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders must be proud to see his legacy live on. In an age where dual-sport athletes are becoming extinct, Tufts University commit Tasso Kotsogiannis has decided to play baseball while he awaits the resumption of the football camp.

Class of 2026 running back Tasso Kotsogiannis, before reporting to football camp at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, in August, has decided to give baseball another shot. He made his commitment to the Tuft Jumbos last November and will be playing his freshman season in the NCAA Division III.

Kotsogiannis attended Livonia Stevenson High School, where he played varsity football, and also played for the school’s baseball team around the same time. He helped the Livonia Stevenson Spartans (24-14) to a brilliant season, winning the Kensington Lakes Association-East, and outscoring three opponents 39-1 to win a Division 1 district title. They reached the regional final and were close to staging an upset against Warren De La Salle before falling short. As a standout outfielder and batter for the Spartans, he maintained a .360 batting average in his senior season

Now, he is headed to Spain to play for the Greek U-23 National Baseball Team. The team will join six other teams for the 2026 WBSC Europe U-23 Baseball Championship Qualifier from August 4 to August 8. The seven teams will be split into two groups, after which the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals. Winners in the semifinals will face off in the final, and the eventual winner will qualify for the WBSC European Championship next summer. The Greek team, known as Team Hellas, features a mix of North American collegiate athletes of Greek descent and top European-league players.

Although he had a great time playing baseball, it did not in any way affect his football. Kotsogiannis had his breakout season as a junior in 2024, totaling 1,420 all-purpose yards, including 1,219 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His performance earned him All-KLAA honors. Before committing to the Tufts Jumbos, he received offers from Lawrence Tech, Case Western Reserve, Rose-Hulman in Indiana, Heidelberg in Ohio, and Carnegie Mellon in Pennsylvania.

After the tournament in Spain, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder will join the Jumbos in training camp and get a chance to prove his abilities on the collegiate scene.

Kotsogiannis’ growth

Kotsogiannis is the son of a football coach, Pete Kotsogiannis, who won the 2010 MHSFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. This has laid the perfect foundation for his football career. However, he also credits his growth to former Spartans RB ArJon Thompson, who is now a redshirt sophomore at Grand Valley.

“Me, being up as a sophomore was maybe one of the greatest things I could have experienced,” Kotsogiannis said. “Just being able to sit behind great players and learning in practice every day was so much help. I didn’t get in as many games as I wanted, but I was young and got to learn behind ArJon Thompson, who was a really good running back.

Kotsogiannis took the lessons from Thompson and had his breakout year the following season. Learning from Thompson gave him the right mindset and helped him overcome the timidity that held him back. Part of his improvement was to build his physique, which he has been successfully doing over the years. In all, he had the perfect background from his father, and Livonia Stevenson also gave him the right environment to thrive. Hopefully, after making his country proud in Spain, Tufts University will be another flourishing environment for him.