Brentwood Academy football coach Paul Wade noticed something as Stephon Shivers toured the school with his family during a prospective visit this last offseason.
Shivers didn’t talk much. Wade now attributes that to the effects of culture shock.
Life at Brentwood Academy and in Middle Tennessee — from state-of-the-art football facilities, to golf outings, even dinners at Cheesecake Factory — is completely different from what Shivers, a Georgia football commitment , experienced growing up in the small West Tennessee city of Humboldt, a population of 7,874 .
Shivers’ family has since moved to Brentwood ( population 45,373 ) and enrolled him at BA. Adjusting to a new environment is worth it, Shivers said, in order to prepare for SEC football.
“I take pride in growing. It’s a big part of life, you can’t stay the same forever,” Shivers said. “I feel like I’m putting myself in a better situation just being able to play against guys my size, the same strength, the same talent level.”
Shivers, a 6-foot-4, 355-pound defensive lineman, is No. 7 on The Tennessean's Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top senior college football prospects from the Nashville area. He is a three-star prospect ranked as the No. 19 recruit in the state overall from the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 75 defensive lineman nationally.
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He dominated on both sides of the ball for Humboldt in Class 1A, the smallest classification in TSSAA football. But Shivers wants to prove he can do the same against players in Division II-AAA, the state’s largest private school classification and toughest league in the state.
He’ll also play offense at BA, blocking for five-star quarterback and Tennessee commitment George MacIntyre. MacIntyre often scrambled under pressure last season as the Eagles posted their worst record in school history at 2-10.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Shivers said. “George is a great player and a great guy, and he knows what he’s doing. I love that I get to block for him and I’m not going to let anyone touch him.”
Why Georgia football commit Stephon Shivers has ‘untapped potential’
When former Humboldt football coach Craig Pettigrew’s short-yardage running back went down with an injury last season, he turned to Shivers on a fourth-and-1 play. Shivers split through two safeties and rumbled for a 65-yard touchdown.
“Whenever we ran sprints in practice he didn't want to run with the linemen,” Pettigrew said, “he wanted to run with the skill guys.”
Shivers is listed at only an inch and 11 pounds smaller than Tennessee Titans 2024 NFL Draft second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat. During the Under Armour elite camp at BA in April, Shivers ran a 5.20-second time in the 40. Sweat ran a 4.27 at the 2024 NFL Combine .
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The Under Armour camp had players perform other physical tests, many of which Shivers had never done before at Humboldt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached a kid who has untapped potential like he does,” Wade said. “I’ve coached some great guys, and I’m telling you, in 35 years I’ve never seen a kid strike like he does with his hands. We’re all excited to see how this plays out.”
During Humboldt’s season opener against McNairy Central, Shivers was playing defense on a goal-line play. He was told to prepare for a triple team. Instead, he was quadruple-teamed. “Four guys tried to block him and four guys’ feet came off the ground,” Pettigrew said.
Shivers finished the season with 90 tackles with 11 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He also excelled at basketball, averaging 15.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a junior for the Vikings, leaving Humboldt with 1,803 career points, 1,203 rebounds and 148 assists.
Stephon Shivers will face some of Tennessee's top linemen in DII-AAA
Shivers is still adjusting to his new surroundings at BA. The Eagles start workouts at 6 a.m. with conditioning that transitions straight into hour-and-a-half-long practices.
His endurance level has been tested at times.
“He’s in total shock and awe of the way we do things,” Wade said. “He said he’s never been coached like this before.”
That’s exactly what Shivers wants, and why his family uprooted itself for his senior season.
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“It’s bittersweet because we’re from Humboldt, I’m an alumni there,” said Shivers’ dad, Stephen, a former Vikings basketball star who graduated in 1992. “But it comes to a point — and it’s nothing against Humboldt, it will always be home — but you have to do what’s best for you, and by that I mean for him, to get him ready for the next level. That’s what the move is for.”
BA’s opponents this fall include seven linemen on either side of the ball who are ranked among the top 50 seniors in Tennessee, per the 247Sports rankings. Shivers could face a number of them.
“He wants to know how he’ll match up with them, and he deserves the chance to see that for himself,” Pettigrew said. “I have no doubt that he will excel.”
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Georgia football commitment Stephon Shivers transferred to Brentwood Academy to prepare for SEC
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