Sports

Florida Football’s 400-Pound Freshman Is So Freakishly Fast That He Might Play Running Back

by Last Updated
Stephon Shivers Florida 400-pound freshman lineman
© Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stephon Shivers is the latest 400-pound defensive lineman to play college football at Florida. He is only a freshman!

The Gators will have four, maybe five, full seasons to mold him into a multi-down menace on the interior and the transformation got underway at spring practice earlier this week.

Shivers, a native of Tennessee, was rated as a three-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2025. Only 18 schools offered him a scholarship, but some of the biggest names included Georgia, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, Texas, Ole Miss and Arkansas. In fact, he initially committed to play for the Bulldogs in March of 2024 but flipped his commitment in November and signed in December.

At 6-foot-5, 399 pounds, Shivers played three different positions in high school: offensive tackle, nose guard and running back. Yes, you read that correctly. Brentwood Academy often gave him touches out of the backfield. He even scored a touchdown.

Shivers is freakishly fast for his size!

And he has massive hands to match his massive frame.

Although Shivers is an objectively large human being, especially for his age, it’s not like his weight is 400 pounds of fat. The size of his arms at only 17 years old is on par with most NFL lineman.

Florida got its spring football practice underway earlier this week. Stephon Shivers chose to enroll early and arrived to campus in January so he was on the field with the rest of his new teammates. You cannot miss him.

Desmond Watson was listed at 450 pounds last season and became the world’s largest running back during the Gasparilla Bowl. Shivers is not quite as big, which makes him even more fluid of an athlete.

It would be very fun if the Gators created an offensive package for their giant freshman defensive lineman. We can only hope. In the meantime, I will continue to watch every single video of Shivers that comes across my feed over the next six months. Every single one is better than the last.

Stephon Shivers may or may not get a lot of playing time in 2025. His role will depend on his performance during the spring practice period and fall camp. A redshirt year is still an option.

Regardless of how things shake out, he is one of the most fascinating players in college football. Remember the name!