Original Blog Entry: The largest football player you've ever seen

truesee — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:03:48 GMT

Aug 12 10:14am PDT

Terrell Brown may be the largest football player you've ever seen

Matt Hinton

Dr Saturday

Since I went out of my way to highlight the relative shrimpiness of Brett Favre's nephew, Mississippi State freshman Dylan Favre, earlier this week, it's only fitting I return to the Magnolia State to bring you the first look at the largest player in the country. Meet Ole Miss walk-on Terrell Brown, who at 6-foot-11 and 390 pounds, is, according to The Clarion-Ledger, almost too huge to play football. I was going to make a joke about the guy straining to water Mssr. Brown being the tallest guy in his high school or something, but that's probably too close to the truth to be funny.

If the 6-11/390 measurements are accurate, Brown is without question the tallest football player I've ever heard of. He's also only a few donuts away from the mythical 400-pound mark, reportedly achieved by a handful of immobile heavyweights over the years most notably Gilbert Brown, Leonard Davis and Terrence Cody but never (to my knowledge) recorded on an official roster for posterity. Even if Brown eats his way to one-fifth of a ton (he's already listed in less reliable corners of the web as high as 410), he's unlikely to ever match the unofficial record for gridiron heft. That mark was established by former Wisconsin behemoth Aaron Gibson, who allegedly arrived in Madison weighing 435 pounds in 1995. Not that Brown can't get there, but he won't be on anyone's roster when he does. (Though I could conceivably see Brown, like Gibson, eventually requiring a custom-made helmet he has to carry around to each new team for his entire career, because no standard models will fit his head.)

As for his prospects as a player, well, there's a reason he's walking on. Brown's football experience is very limited, according to co-offensive coordinator Mike Markuson. That may be something of an overstatement. Brown transferred to Ole Miss from Mississippi Delta Community College, but isn't listed on the 2009 MDCC and has no profile on any of the major recruiting sites. Like more celebrated Rebel predecessor Michael Oher, he seems to be a giant who appeared from nowhere.

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