BUFFALO, N.Y. - Jayce Johnson has always thought of himself as a basketball player - even when his football talents earned him a state title and a scholarship to Division-I Wagner. When Middle Tennessee basketball came calling, Johnson couldn't pass up a D-I offer for his favorite sport.

"My heart was in basketball," he says. "Even though I played football since I was younger, I feel like I was pushed to play football. Basketball was more fun, the locker room is much closer because there's not as many guys. It's much more of a tight-knit group."

Basketball and football seem like very different sports, but Johnson says a few skills have transferred over from the gridiron to the gym.

"My physicality and my leadership carried me between both," he says.

"To play quarterback at Canisius, at a high level, you have to have leadership skills," says Ty Parker, Johnson's AAU coach. "He has a good body, 6'5, 200 pounds. That's what they're looking for. Coach McDevitt down at Middle Tennessee likes big guys."

The Blue Raiders are a mid-major that has made some noise over the last few years; Middle Tennessee has won two NCAA Tournament games over the last three years, including a stunning upset of second-seeded Michigan State in 2016.

"Between where it is and the coaching down there, I feel like everything is set up for me to succeed," says Johnson.

"The mid-major, low-major Division I schools that's trying to make an uprise such as Middle Tennessee, is a good fit for our guys," says Parker. "Our guys aren't trying to go to school where they'll sit on the bench because of a one-and-done guy."

Johnson has ruled out attempting to be a multisport star at Middle Tennessee - at least for his freshman year. He hasn't closed the door on trying football in the future.

"If the opportunity comes about, we'll see. Only time will tell."