College football appears to have a new heaviest player entering the 2026 season, and his path to the Division I stage has been anything but straightforward.
David Jones has joined Mississippi Valley State as a senior transfer and is set to play on the Delta Devils’ defensive line. Known to many as “Big Dave,” Jones stands 6 feet tall and is listed on the team’s official website at 425 pounds.
His rare size and versatility have already drawn comparisons to NFL legend William “Refrigerator” Perry, especially after Jones was used as a goal-line back at his previous school and powered his way to three touchdowns.
A native of Augusta, Georgia, Jones played both offensive guard and defensive tackle at Hephzibah High School, where he earned First Team All-Region honors as a senior in 2021.
His route forward became complicated by the lingering impact of COVID-era roster congestion, as players stayed in school longer and available spots tightened. Jones eventually landed with a club program that competed against junior college teams while he continued searching for a bigger opportunity.
When potential scholarship chances disappeared after coaching changes and retirements, Jones returned home and took a 9-to-5 job with UPS. Even then, he kept pushing to keep his football dream alive.
David Jones committed to Mississippi Valley State ahead of the 2026 football season
Jones, wearing No. 90, is in camp and preparing for his first season with his new team
‘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.’
His film included clips of him being used on offense as a running back.
‘I put little gems in my highlight tape to see if my coach actually even watch it,’ Jones said. ‘Like I put some of my running plays in the middle of the highlight.’
In the end, Livingstone College assistant coach Mark Williams noticed, and the big man landed in North Carolina.
‘At the end of his film, man, he had like two or three clips of him running the ball,’ Williams said. ‘Some coaches… might look at that and see, ‘Man, this joker 6-2, 6-3, 360 pounds — why is he running the ball like Refrigerator Perry?’ But you never know when you may need to use that skill set.’
Jones eventually scored three rushing touchdowns last year. They generated attention on social media, and he’s now made the move to a Division 1 (I-AA) program in Mississippi Valley State, leaving Livingstone behind.
‘This will be my third school I’m going to,’ he told HBCU Gameday. ‘All I know is, okay, Dave, you gotta go bet on yourself.
‘I’m just trying to really go feed my family. Football, really a business right now.’
While Jones was listed at 350 pounds at Livingstone, his new school now lists him at 425 pounds, and shared a promotional photo of him in his new uniform holding a sledgehammer.
The SWAC team begins their season on Thursday against Nicholls State. They will play at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, in Week 3 in the Chicago Football Classic against Lincoln.
David Jones has left CIAA football for a Division 1 school after transferring in the offseason
Jones is now listed as the heaviest player in college football at over 400 pounds
Desmond Watson was previously the heaviest player in college football at the University of Florida, weighing 449 pounds at his Pro Day before becoming the heaviest player in NFL history when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But after being put on a conditioning plan and being forced to practice alone, he was eventually released without ever playing a game.
‘The door is not closed on him, but if you don’t practice, you’re probably not going to make this team,’ Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said at the time.
‘We’ll see where we are in a couple weeks and we’ll circle back and we’ll go from there. We’re in the last week of camp. If you’re not practicing, you’re not going to play. He’s been working hard, we had a good talk, and we’ll circle back and see where he’s at.’
Watson himself said during last year’s camp: ‘I feel like my name is etched in history, of course, as being the official heaviest player in the NFL or whatnot.
‘It’s a good story, but at the same time I don’t want that to be my narrative. I want to be known as a football player – and a good football player at that.’
After he was released, Watson’s agent told AP: ‘He’s still working. Job’s not finished.’
But after being signed then released by the DC Defenders of the XFL, he has remained without a team and not appeared on a NFL roster this training camp.
