Florida’s 7’9 basketball recruit is already breaking NCAA record books

Olivier Rioux is the tallest teenager ever, and he’s coming to the Florida Gators.

Are we seeing a renaissance of the massive human playing college basketball? Purdue’s Zach Edey dominated the NCAA at 7’4, 300 pounds en route to back-to-back Wooden Award trophies and a Final Four appearance. Tacko Fall mesmerized the college basketball and NBA world in his NCAA tournament matchup with Zion Williamson and Duke.

Now, we might be getting a player who is larger than both of them, and I have no idea how that’s possible. IMG Academy’s Olivier Rioux is a Florida commit in the class of 2024, who WAS 7’6—last year.

He is NOW 7’9 and I’m not even sure how that’s possible. Look at this stuff:

Here’s him next a normal person:

If he’s truly 7’9, then that would make him the tallest player in college basketball history, passing former Florida Tech and Mountain State player Paul Sturgess, who was 7’8. Rioux is also the tallest teenager ever. His basketball highlight tape looks exactly how you think someone that big would look playing against your average high schooler.

I truly have no idea how someone gets that big, but with the success of Edey at the college level there’s a blueprint for the Florida commit. Watching his career unfold will be fun, but getting him in a spot to be successful might be...

a tall task.