2022 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 2 Days Part II (Shaun Shivers)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2022 Hoosier Huddle Countdown is very nearly complete. Only two short days from now, IU will take the field at Memorial Stadium to open the 2022 season against the Illinois Fighting Illini. There are still a few very important players to profile and we’ll get to two of them today: James Monds III and Shaun Shivers.

Name: Shaun Shivers

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL (Chaminade-Madonna)/Auburn transfer

Position: Running Back

Year: Redshirt Senior

Height/Weight: 5’7”/186 pounds

As been written about at length in previous countdown profiles, the 2021 season was terrible and necessitated change across the board on the offensive side of the ball. IU needed an infusion of speed and talent at running back and new offensive coordinator Walt Bell got just that by heading to the SEC and convincing Auburn transfer Shaun Shivers that Bloomington was the place for him. Shivers was a four-star recruit in Florida as he starred at Chaminade-Madonna Prep, leading them to a 3A state championship. He went to Auburn and quickly made an impact, with 117 yards on 13 carries in just his second collegiate contest. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry as a freshman, 5.2 yards per carry as a sophomore and 4.5 as a team captain and a junior in 2020. The 2021 season was a step back in usage as head coach Bryan Harsin didn’t appear to value Shivers and he was behind a terrific back in Tank Bigsby. He only got 14 carries all season, adding 22 receptions for 163 yards with a touchdown. In total, he appeared in 43 games, starting nine for the Tigers. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and added 38 receptions for 211 yards. Doubted all his life because of his 5’7” height, Shivers believes he is capable of so much more and he came to Indiana to prove it.

Shaun Shivers is fast. Not just fast for a regular human being but fast for elite football players. He is one of the fastest players in the country and the top-end speed brings an element of explosiveness to IU’s offense that has not been present in the past couple of seasons. He’s also versatile and has proven that he can be a dangerous pass-catcher out of the backfield. That versatility should allow him to be used in multi-back sets. Shivers believes he is good enough and strong enough to be a featured back though and Walt Bell sold him on the opportunity to do just that this season. He will lead a backfield that has fellow transfer Josh Henderson along with incoming freshman Jaylin Lucas and returning redshirt freshmen David Holloman and Trent Howland. Buckle up Hoosier fans because Shivers should be one of the more exciting running backs we’ve seen in Bloomington in recent years.