Nearly 300-pound HS QB goes viral for being tough to tackle

Zaakirah Mujid - BVM Sports Digital Specialist/Journalist

Updated: September 17, 2024

ST. LOUIS (BVM) – Meet Kyren Eleby, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound junior quarterback and first-year starter at St. Louis University High School (SLUH). The Junior Bills compete in Missouri’s Class 6, the state’s most competitive classification. 

“[In Week 1], they hit [Eleby] low, and he’s like, ‘Coach, they hit me low,’ and I’m like, ‘Buddy, I would,’” Adam Cruz, SLUH’s head football coach told KSDK News in the now-viral interview. 

Eleby may look more like a lineman than a quarterback, but he leverages that to his advantage on the field. 

“I’m not easy to tackle, and bulldozing defenders – that comes naturally when I run the ball,” Eleby told BVM Sports. 

Despite online comments suggesting he should switch to the defensive line, Eleby is determined to pursue his dreams at the QB position.   

“I was a quarterback in middle school, and I am a quarterback in high school, and I will be a quarterback in college,” Eleby said. “I’m not looking to change my position despite what others may say. My ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL.”

Notably, the heaviest quarterback in NFL history is Jared Lorenzen, who weighed in at a similar 285 pounds.  

“He’s a big fella’ at 6-foot-2, 285 pounds – but that doesn’t stop him from reading defenses really well,” coach Cruz told BVM Sports. “He is smart and has really good accuracy on both short term balls and long term balls. He stands in the pocket, and a part of that is his bigger size.” 

Coach Cruz also pointed to Eleby’s “canon arm,” shown in the highlight clips below. 

Kyren Eleby (@Sl3pt0n_2fr3sh) can run the ball and launch it into another zip code.

Great catch made by @Zach__Allen14 pic.twitter.com/aIRPPA1XDZ

— tim godfrey (@timgodfrey_) September 16, 2024

Had a great time throwing at the Lindenwood Mega Camp yesterday @CoachAdamCruz1 @zobrink @Zach__Allen14 @JPRockMO pic.twitter.com/lr6Utyw1JN

— Kyren Eleby (@Sl3pt0n_2fr3sh) June 1, 2024

Eleby doesn’t have college offers yet, but he’s hoping that’ll change soon. 

“I’m a pretty big guy, so it’s pretty hard for people not to notice it,” Eleby said. “But putting that aside, I just want people to notice the way I play the game. See the reason why I make the throws that I make. Overall just playing the quarterback position the right way.”

Coach Cruz acknowledged that he’s proud of Eleby for breaking the mold of what the typical quarterback looks like. 

“I admire how he handles the (weight) comments because I don’t know if I’d be able to if I was 17,” coach Cruz said. “At the end of the day, I don’t feel very comfortable talking about a 17 year old’s weight like this. He’s just a kid. But he and I know this will help his recruiting because it’s bringing him attention – so now people can really see his true talents.”

Eleby noted, “I believe that if you can play a position the right way, you should be able to play it no matter how you look.” 

Through three games this 2024 season, Eleby has completed 50 of 90 passes for 553 yards, with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. SLUH’s most recent loss was to De Smet Jesuit, ranked as one of the top 10 best teams in the state. 

“His ceiling is super high, especially from a bloodline perspective since there’s a lot of talent in the family,” coach Cruz said.

Kyren Eleby has two older brothers who play quarterback. Kaleb was the starting quarterback for Western Michigan. Another older brother, Kameron, is the QB for Pattonville High School. Notably, younger brother Kaiden is a 6-foot-1, 332-pound sophomore starting right tackle at SLUH.  

“Kyren does all the right things when it comes to being a leader,” coach Cruz said. “We’ve had conversations that if he does want to play QB at the college level, he’s going to need to work on his fitness and getting in shape.”