After all, Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, played in the NFL and won the Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP, so the prominence of his name in the conversation is just.

So now imagine you're a young two-sport athlete and one day, you get a phone call from Mr. Jackson during which he encourages you and offers you advice.

That's exactly what happened to Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee, who Thursday signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox after being a 23rd round pick of the team in last month's MLB First-Year Player Draft.

"I was just driving down the street and it was a private number of course but then he told me who it was and I was like (mimics abruptly turning the steering wheel) and parked," Magee said. "It was so hot in the car, but I didn't care. I was stuttering on the phone and everything, but it was a great experience, he surprised me big time."

Magee did play baseball at ASU for three years, but didn't see the field much for head coaches Pat Murphy and Tim Esmay. But that didn't stop the Red Sox from selecting him or Magee from signing a contract with the team.

The deal will not prevent Magee from returning the the gridiron for ASU head coach Todd Graham in the fall. Magee missed the entire 2011 season with an Achilles tendon injury, but should be a big part of the Sun Devil defense as a senior.

"I'm just very excited to be a part of the Boston Red Sox organization and to have them give me an opportunity to play with them and also to stay on the football team," Magee said Thursday. "I'm very excited about this year. Ever since coach Graham came here, I've been buying into everything he says and the team has too, so I'm excited for this year, man."

Magee has been drafted by big league teams twice before. The Tampa Bay Rays picked him in the 29th round of the 2008 draft following his senior season at Centennial High School in Corona, California. The Oakland Athletics invested a 21st round draft pick in him in 2011.

"I made a decision to play with the Red Sox, but my decision making is far from over," he said. "Because they're still letting me pursue my football career and they're letting me go to the NFL, so there's a lot more to come, trust me."

Magee was asked whether the fact that he's now a professional baseball player will take away from his focus on the football field this season.

"A distraction? Never. I signed this contract today but I'm about to go 7-on-7 and it's football from now on," Magee said. "It's all football now. I flip the switch fast."