SAN MARCOS, Texas — Liam Dobson has a big personality to go with his big body.
The 340-pound Canadian is one of the new offensive linemen at Texas State. He's still getting acclimated to his new home.
"Texas heat is something different," Dobson said. “I had to down a couple gallons of water after practice to stop the full body cramps.”
Dobson is expected to be one of the new starters up front for the Bobcats. He brings experience, with 27 starts at the University of Maine. He spent four years and three seasons at the FCS program.
“He’s made the comment to me that this is the hottest his body has ever felt in his entire life being here in San Marcos,” said Texas State coach Jake Spavital.
Dobson worked his way south during his football career. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, he played prep school football in Canada before heading to Maine.
“It’s kind of hard to get recruited," he said. "I knew I had to play games at the FBS level. NFL scouts want to see you play at the highest level possible.”
Dobson was named to college football reporter Bruce Feldman's Top-100 Freaks List two years in a row. He can also dunk a basketball, having a physique that's caught everyone's attention.
"I figured that it’s gonna come up at some point today," said Dobson at Texas State's football media day. "It's got a ways to go. You can't compare my stomach with the greats yet.”
Dobson seems to have the most famous stomach in college football.
“His belly will be like a national icon moving forward because it's everywhere you look right now," Spavital said.
Dobson's gut first went viral when he wanted to mimic receivers at Maine's photo day in 2019.
"One of the media guys over there at UMaine had the idea," Dobson said. "He’s like, 'Let's drag out a pad so you don't hurt yourself.' So I went out, dove, caught the football, perfect timing on the camera.”
A one-handed, full-belly photo was a work of art for offensive linemen everywhere.
"Then I'm in study hall a couple hours later, and I just kept getting dings on my phone," Dobson said. "I was like, 'Oh no, I'm gonna get in trouble.' I pulled it out, tried to silence it real quick, but it was going pretty crazy."
Another one-handed, fully-belly catch in practice only added to his online stardom.
"Now that there's that NIL stuff, I think I might try to team up with a clothing company and make some money off those," Dobson said. "Some guy crop tops, something like that.”
It is clothing that's perfect to beat the Texas heat, while Dobson takes advantage of being in the spotlight in his new home.
"Take it in stride, play well," he said. "As long as everything's going well, attention is always good. I think my personality just screams offensive line.”
