SEC fans are used to seeing some big men on the offensive and defensive lines. Florida freshman Desmond Watson arrived to Gainesville so heavy that he made headlines before he even hit the practice field.

As revealed by UF’s spring roster, Watson measures at 6-5, 432 pounds. That’s actually down 8 pounds from his arrival weight of 440 pounds, Dan Mullen noted in his pre-spring press conference.

Redshirt senior Zach Carter was asked if he’s ever seen a freshman as big as Watson.

“No, but hey, that’s what we breed in Tampa,” Carter said, per Zach Abolverdi of The Gainesville Sun. “I’m really excited for big Des. He’s going to have a bright future. He’s a big kid, though. Big kid. Dang.”

Watson figures to be a project for Gators strength coach Nick Savage. Mullen said that Watson needs to shed about a “12-year-old” in terms of weight. Carter said Watson has been impressive at his current size.

“Man, I’m telling you. He’s pretty impressive for his size and I know he’ll continue to trim up, but he has a lot of potential,” Carter told reporters. “Once you get a little Savage, it’ll be different.”

Florida’s spring practices have been live-streamed on Instagram. Watson’s size has been a hot topic on Gator Twitter.

Out of Armwood, Watson was rated 3-stars and the No. 23 defensive tackle on the 247Sports Composite.