Notre Dame football made some coaching news this weekend, including adding a former Auburn and Indiana running back Shaun Shivers as their assistant wide receivers coach. Shivers, a native of Florida, had accepted the position as running backs coach with Florida State earlier this offseason, but is now heading to coach under head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. On paper, this is a really interesting young coach whose future appears very bright.
For me personally, the addition of Shivers is a really fun one. I had the former running back on my old podcast as an NFL Draft prospect, so knowing him personally, Shivers certainly has a great eye for the game. In doing deeper research on his coaching journey, Shivers has made an extremely quick ascension in the industry. Here is everything you need to know about Notre Dame’s newest assistant, including his playing and coaching stops so far.
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Shaun Shivers’ playing career
Shivers was considered a three-star player by some, and a four-star by others when he came out of the 2018 recruiting class. The former Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna star ended up being ranked as a four-star, the No. 344 overall player, the No. 10 all-purpose running back, and the No. 59 player from the state of Florida in the class, according to the 247 Sports Composite ranking. Shivers chose Auburn originally over other offers from Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Utah, TCU, Louisville, Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Baylor, Maryland, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Syracuse, among others.
During his four seasons with the Auburn Tigers, Shivers was a key cog in the running back rotation, along with players like JaTarvious Whitlow and Tank Bigsby. After taking advantage of the free COVID year in 2020, it allowed Shivers the opportunity to return to college for his fifth season in 2022. During that final season, the diminutive runner decided to spend it as a graduate transfer with the Indiana Hoosiers. Over his five-year college career, Shivers managed to rush for 1,612 yards and 14 touchdowns. Shivers also hauled in 60 receptions for 339 yards and two more scores as a receiver.
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Due to Shivers’ lack of size (listed at 5-7 and 188 pounds), he wasn’t able to stick for long in the NFL. After signing as an undrafted free agent in the 2023 NFL Draft with the Seattle Seahawks, the Florida native opted to head up north to play for the BC Lions of the CFL. During that lone season in the CFL, Shivers rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown, while also hauling in five receptions for 65 yards through the air. Following that 2023 season, Shivers decided to embark on the next part of his football career.
Shaun Shivers’ coaching career
The first stop in Shivers’ coaching career was a familiar one. He returned home to coach running backs and serve as the head track and field coach for Chaminade-Madonna, his alma mater. They are a powerhouse program in the state of Florida. They had won seven of the last nine state football championships in their classification. That includes four straight from 2021-2024. That brief return earned Shivers a chance on the college level.
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Shivers accepted an offensive assistant role with Eastern Michigan during the 2025 college football season, assisting mostly with the running back position. Earlier this off-season, he had accepted a position with Florida State as an assistant running backs coach. Landing with the Seminoles just in January, Notre Dame was able to change the course for Shivers. While he has no experience coaching wide receivers, this move offers Shivers the chance to return to the state of Indiana and coach under wide receivers coach Mike Brown.
With just two years of coaching experience, including one on the high school level, Shivers has the look of a rising star in the profession. This is a very quick ascension as a coach. It would be wise for everyone to keep close tabs on him and eye the impact he makes with the Fighting Irish during the 2026 season and beyond.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
