Ever seen a 285-pound high school football QB? Now you have

St. Louis University High School (Missouri) starting quarterback Kyren Eleby looks more like a lineman, but he can sling it

Kyren Eleby, St. Louis University High School's 285-pound quarterback, prepares to take a snap against De Smet. / Screen shot from St. Louis University High School broadcast

Weighing 285 pounds, Jared Lorenzen was the heaviest quarterback to play pro football in the NFL.

Meet Kyren Eleby, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound starting quarterback for the St. Louis University High School Junior Billikens in Missouri.

Just a junior, Eleby is bigger than all of the linemen blocking for him except his "little" brother — 6-foot-1, 300-pound sophomore Kaiden — and when he takes off running from the shotgun, tacklers aim low.

He told KSDK-TV reporter Corey Miller that he put on a lot of weight during COVID, but he didn't let that stop him from playing quarterback, which he's been doing since he was 5.

"My brothers play it, I play it, and I'm good at it," he says:

"The teachers didn't believe me when they heard I play quarterback, but then they saw me on the field..."@SLUHfootball's Kyren Eleby may not look like a typical HS quarterback at 6-foot-2, 285 pounds... but don't underestimate him. And good luck tackling him.@CoachAdamCruz1 pic.twitter.com/uUDhAXgJrf

— Corey Miller (@corey_miller5) September 13, 2024

His older brother, Kaleb Eleby, starred at Pattonville High School in Missouri, throwing for 9,735 yards and 95 touchdowns before becoming the starting quarterback for Western Michigan.

Another older brother, senior Kameron Eleby, has been getting starting quarterback reps at Pattonville since his freshman year.

Through three games as a junior in 2024, Kyren Eleby has completed 50 of 90 passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns. He's rushed for 42 yards and another score.

"We were playing up in Chicago in Week 1 and they hit him low," coach Adam Cruz told KSDK-TV. "And he says 'Coach, they're hitting me low.' I'm like, 'Buddy, I would.'"

Here he is slinging a pass downfield during 7-on-7 action over the summer:

The Jr. Billikens looked really good today in 7v7 action. Congrats to @SLUHfootball @Sl3pt0n_2fr3sh with the throw. https://t.co/c07MWgCtvO pic.twitter.com/m5ANNu4o0a

— JP Rock (@JPRockMO) June 23, 2024

As a sophomore last year, Kyren Eleby backed up senior quarterback Marco Sansone, who's now at Bucknell.

He finished his sophomore year with 132 yards passing and a touchdown, plus 46 yards on the ground with a touchdown.

Among his targets in 2023 was Ryan Wingo, star wide receiver who's now thriving as a freshman for the Texas Longhorns.

Next up for Kyren and Kaiden Eleby and SLU is Lutheran of Charles and the Junior Bills try to reach .500 through four games.

—

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.

For more information, visit si.com/high-school.