Catching up with the world's largest football player, 7-foot, 410-pound John Krahn

Video: Catching up with John Krahn
California native gained national attention last year as one of the biggest football players to ever take the field.

The adjustments for John Krahn — tabbed the "world's largest football player" — have been numerous since leaving the comfortable confines of Riverside (Calif.) four months ago to the pristine parameters of Georgia Prep Sports Academy in Atlanta.

There's the weather.

"I'm used to heat, but not nearly the humidity," said the 7-foot, 400-pound plus offensive lineman. "It's easier to sweat though."

The sleeping arrangements.

"I have four roommates," he said, noting he always had his own room. "It's all good."

The position change from left tackle to right guard.

"I've played every spot on the line here, even center," Krahn said. "I hadn't played center since pee wee football." The biggest tweak for the 18-year-old is the language. No, not the football terminology.

"The slang," he said. "Everybody here talks different. I had no idea what the guys from Florida were even saying when I got here. I'm used to it now."

Prep schools are a melting pot to be sure. Fourth-year GPSA head coach Michael Carson said that of his 55 players, 23 come from different states. Each arrived having carved a unique path and offering special challenges.

Clearly, no one is like Krahn, who was introduced to a national audience by MaxPreps a year ago. Generally shy, but always the center of attention, Krahn was 6-feet tall by the sixth grade, 6-5 when he entered King High School (Riverside, Calif.) and sprouted to 6-8, 330 as a sophomore before expanding to 7-0 and 440 as a senior.

He was — and is — literally as big and wide as a front door.

Crashing down

All that growth and all that attention wasn't easy on the son of forklift business owner and maintenance engineer. He got behind in school and his feet couldn't quite support his massive growth plate.

Then when his mother Cindy — the person who encouraged him most to branch out after high school — died suddenly of unexpected natural causes last fall, Krahn's world came crashing down.

At his size, that was a mighty fall.

But GPSA was the perfect fit to get Krahn physically, emotionally and academically fit. He finished up his high school coursework last month, added strength, lost weight and gained an appreciation for every spot on the offensive line. His cross-country venture has been all business. 

He rarely leaves the school campus and pretty much communicates only with his dad John and older sister Miranda back home in Riverside. Krahn did leave the campus recently for a public speaking gig to share his message of a group of overcoming loss, embrace being different and staying ahead academically to a group of elementary school kids.

"I'm not the greatest public speaker," he said. "But I wanted to share my story and encourage the kids to make good decisions."

Clearly coming to GPSA was a good one for him. His goal to get below 400 pounds is close though he hasn't weighed himself in almost a month.

Perceptions and reality

His goal is to play football at any Division I college. The dream would be either Georgia or Miami. He's not there yet, receiving a couple Division I-AA offers, but Carson has been impressed with the progress. The Lions are 8-2 and have two more regular season game before a possible East Atlantic Conference title game.

GPSA plays other prep schools, junior colleges and Division III JV programs.

"John is really finishing up strong," Carson said. "He's progressed tremendously and he's a leader on the offensive line."

He's nowhere near a finished product, Carson and Krahn both agree.

"The perception is that because he's so large he should be able to dominate," Carson said. "He's still learning the game."

"I always think I can do better because I can," Krahn said. "I'm watching film every day and trying to get faster and stronger. I like playing guard."

Krahn said his mother was always his biggest supporter. When he arrived in Georgia, he wanted to succeed largely because of her.

"I realized at a certain point I have to do this for me," he said. "I'm working hard. I'm doing my best. And I'm learning something new every day."