| No. 12 – Kent State Golden Flashes | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 18, 2004[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | West Branch (Beloit, Ohio) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Dru DeShields (born May 18, 2004)[1] is an American football quarterback for the Kent State Golden Flashes. DeShields redshirted his first two seasons due to injury. DeShields attended West Branch High School, where he threw for 7,834 yards and 90 touchdowns in his high school career.
Personal life
editDru Deshields was born May 18, 2004. He is the brother of TJ DeShields who previously played for Akron as a quarterback, where he currently serves as an offensive analyst for his former team.[2]
DeShields attended West Branch High School located in Beloit, Ohio, finishing his high school career with 33 wins, and completing 66% of his passes for 7,834 yards and 90 touchdowns.
College career
editAfter graduation, DeShields committed to play for the Kent State for football.[3] He originally committed to Eastern Illinois, but later flipped his commitment.[4]
During his first two seasons in 2023 and 2024, DeShields would redshirt and not appear in any games due to tearing his ACL in both seasons.[5][6] He made his first career start in week three of the 2025 season, where he went 22-of-32 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 31-28 loss to Buffalo.[7] After the Buffalo game, DeShields was named the team's starter for the rest of the season.[8] In week twelve, DeShields completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts for 317 yards and five touchdowns in a victory versus rival Akron.[9]
College statistics
edit| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2023 | Kent State | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Kent State | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Kent State | 11 | 9 | 4–5 | 136 | 240 | 56.7 | 2,030 | 8.5 | 18 | 3 | 150.0 | 61 | 36 | 0.3 | 3 |
| Career | 11 | 9 | 4–5 | 136 | 240 | 56.7 | 2,030 | 8.5 | 18 | 3 | 150.0 | 61 | 36 | 0.3 | 3 | |
References
edit- ^ a b @/DeshieldsDru (May 18, 2022). "Blessed to see 18!!!! Felt like yesterday I was playing in the back yard getting beat up by my brothers.❤️❤️" (Tweet). Retrieved November 16, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ Popovich, Mike (November 10, 2025). "DeShields brothers on opposite sides of Akron-Kent State NCAA college football rivalry". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Balash, Dana (November 30, 2022). "West Branch's DeShields commits to Kent State". WFMJ.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Keating, Mike (December 12, 2022). "Dru DeShields decommits from Eastern Illinois, will attend Kent State". The Alliance Review. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Popovich, Mike (November 4, 2025). "Dru DeShields embracing comeback opportunity with Kent State football team". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Rosenblum, Jonah (August 19, 2025). "Antoine Campbell Jr., Dru DeShields impress at Kent State football's second scrimmage". Record-Courier. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Ulrich, Nate (September 13, 2025). "Kent State football finds new starting quarterback as upset bid vs. Buffalo falls short". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Madhavan, Neel (September 19, 2025). "Finally healthy, West Branch alum Dru DeShields takes over as Kent State starting QB". Vindy.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Dru DeShields throws 5 TD passes, Kent State beats Akron 42-35 in OT". WKYC.com. November 11, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
