Marcus Freeman has a few holes to fill on his coaching staff after a position opened up last month. To fill the vacancy, he is poaching former Auburn and Indiana RB Shaun Shivers from FSU. It’s a massive jump for the new coach, who is still early in his career.

Shivers will be joining the Irish as an assistant wide receivers coach. However, this move is very abrupt, since he was hired by Florida State to be an assistant RB coach. Gus Malzahn stepping away from the offensive coordinator position at FSU likely prompted Shivers to seek other opportunities. At South Bend, he will be replacing Dom Spalding, who has joined the Michigan State staff.

Shivers spent most of his collegiate career at Auburn, having played 43 games as a Tiger. He hauled in a massive total of 1,020 yards in 201 carries and eight touchdowns. While at the Barn, Shivers had his golden moment in the 2019 Iron Bowl, where he scored a touchdown with just 8:08 left on the clock. He knocked the helmet off Xavier McKinney in the process. Despite being such a solid contributor, Shivers could only start in nine games at Auburn.

So, for his final year of eligibility, he moved to Indiana, which was nowhere near the level it is today. There was a crisis in the running back room ahead of the 2022 season, as there was no RB with solid experience on the roster. Shivers helped make up for that a lot with his stats from Auburn, which showed during the season. He led the room with his 143 carries, 592 rushing yards, and six TDs. He also doubled up as a receiver at Indiana.

Shaun Shivers sought a position in the NFL, catching a break as an UDFA with Seattle, but he was released soon after. He went on to play one year of pro football in the CFL with the BC Lions.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The new assistant coach began his career last year at Eastern Michigan as an analyst. Shivers also spent some time coaching his alma mater, Chaminade-Madonna Pre,p in football and track and field. The dual role is thanks to Shivers being an extremely speedy runner. He was the runner-up in the 2018 FHSAA State Track and Field Championship in the 100 and 200 meters.

This will be the first time Shaun Shivers will be involved with WRs as a coach, and he will have his hands full at Notre Dame. He will be reporting to WR coach Mike Brown, who will coach an interesting mix of rookies and veterans to bolster the Irish’s passing attack.

Shaun Shivers will be in charge of a deep but inexperienced WR room

The Irish will have to make up for the loss of elite receiver Malachi Fields with Jordan Faison. He led the team in receiving yards (640) last year and will return as the No. 1 in 2026, too. He will be joined on the field by Ohio State transfers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. Freeman can also give Jaden Greathouse a chance, but he has struggled to remain healthy in these last two years. However, he still provided a spark to the Notre Dame passing attack when he was able to play, especially in big games.

Beyond them, the experience dwindles. Micah Gilbert, Elijah Burress, Logan Saldate, and Cam Williams have yet to prove their worth in the offense. Their total 2025 yardage is only 122 receiving yards. However, Marcus Freeman is also getting some exciting new freshmen for the 2026 season. Joining Buress and Jerome Bettis Jr. as legacy recruits are Devin Fitzgerald and Kaydon Finley. Devin’s father is Cardinals icon Larry Fitzgerald. Kaydon’s dad is Packers fame Jermichael Finley.

Shaun Shivers and Mike Brown have to ensure this room is able to support quarterback CJ Carr, who had a tremendous debut last season. He will no longer have the backing from RBs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarien Price, which puts even more pressure on the passing offense. Shivers might have landed at a prime job very early on in his career, but he will have bigger expectations to meet as a young coach.