David Jones is the biggest player in college football. The monstrous defensive lineman affectionately known as ‘Big Dave’ will play for Mississippi Valley State as a senior this fall.
He weighs more than 400 pounds.
There have been heavier college football players in the past, but not at Jones’ height. The Delta Devils might even give him the ball out of the backfield!
Who is David Jones?
As a native of the Peach State, David ‘Big Dave’ Jones played for Hephzibah High School near Augusta, Georgia. He played offensive guard and defensive tackle for the Rebels and was named as a First Team All-Region player as a senior in 2021. On offense, he led the team in pancake blocks while helping to pave the way for a rushing attack that compiled 1,450 rushing yards.
On defense, he was third on the team with 62 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Jones decided to pass on multiple Division III and NAIA offers out of high school to go the junior college route. Gordon State College brought him on as a defensive lineman at 375 pounds. He actually played for the club team in 2022 and 2023.
Although Jones had multiple offers to transfer up as a junior, they ended up getting pulled and some of the coaches retired. That led him to go back home to Georgia and work a 9-to-5 job with UPS. But the grind did not stop.
“Every Sunday, [we] emailed every coach starting from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,” Jones told HBCU Gameday. “All the way from D1 to D3… and we did that every day consistently.”
Livingston College assistant coach Mark Williams responded to Jones’ email within 30 minutes. They set up a campus visit shortly thereafter. The rest is history. David Jones played the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Blue Bears in North Carolina.
He is the heaviest player in college football.
Livingstone listed David Jones at 6-foot-2, 350 pounds and used him only on defense. Opposing coaches game-planned against him, shifted protections toward him and tried to avoid his side. Didn’t matter. Jones was a disruptor.
If the offense did not double him, he was going to make the play. If the offense did double him, his linebackers were free.
The Blue Bears also gave him the ball on offense, much like Refrigerator Perry. Jones finished with three rushing touchdowns in 2025 against Virginia-Lynchburg, Elizabeth City State and Lincoln.
And then he entered the transfer portal.
David Jones will play the 2026 college football season at Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils list him on the roster at a whopping 425 pounds, which makes him the heaviest player in Division I. He’s an absolute unit.
Jones does not weigh as much as Desmond Watson but Watson was listed at 6-foot-6. Big Dave is listed at only 6-foot-0.
Because of the current NCAA rules on junior college eligibility, Jones may have two additional years of eligibility. It would be awesome to see him on the FBS level if he can perform against FCS competition this fall.