STARKVILLE — There may be just one football player with the nickname “Fluff.”

Mississippi State running back Da’Marion “Fluff” Bothwell earned his nickname before he ever held a football, but it’s one that has become a unique part of his identity. 

“I was an 11-pound baby when I was born, and my mama just called me her big fluffy baby,” Bothwell said. “It stuck with me. At first, she called me ‘Fluffy,’ but I think my dad said it was too girly, so she shortened it to ‘Fluff’. It just stuck with me ever since.” 

As great of a nickname as it is off the field, on Saturdays, it’s misleading.

Bothwell wears No. 24 because of his favorite player, Marshawn Lynch. The former Seattle Seahawks back had his own nickname, “Beast Mode,” after a thundering run in a playoff victory in which he broke eight tackles on his way to the end zone. 

Bothwell plays in a similar way. He doesn’t let the nickname fool anyone. He runs hard and arm tackles aren’t enough to slow him down. 

As a true freshman at South Alabama, Bothwell ran for 834 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry and recorded more than 500 yards after contact, earning a reputation for his red-zone carries. That reputation grew beyond his Group of 5 beginnings, and with a change in staff at USA, he felt the time was right for a move. Once Bothwell visited Starkville, head coach Jeff Lebby and running backs Coach Anthony Tucker seized the opportunity to add a special talent.

“I realized my running back coach was leaving from South, and he didn’t tell us yet,” Bothwell said of his decision to leave. “I obviously went on other visits, but Coach Leb and Coach Tuck and the other coaches made me feel at home when I came, me and my family.”

Tragedy and purpose

Bothwell hails Oneonta, Ala., a town of about 7,000 located 40 minutes west of Gadsden in north-central Alabama.

On Christmas Eve in 2023, shortly after his senior high school season, his family home was destroyed by a fire. No one was home at the time, but the house, and almost everything in it, was gone. 

The community rallied around Bothwell, his parents and his 11 siblings, raising monetary and clothing donations and setting up an online GoFundMe page that raised more than $4,000.   

“We’ve got a good community in my hometown Oneonta, and my other community where I’m from is Ashville,” Bothwell said. “They came together and helped us know the world’s not over. You can get material goods back, but you can’t get a person back. I’m glad everyone was okay and we recovered from that.”

A year on from the fire, Bothwell was celebrating Christmas with his family as a new member of the Bulldogs. 

He arrived on campus in January, ready to begin spring ball when tragedy struck again. Bothwell’s cousin Malikih Montgomery, a former Oneonta teammate and someone he considered “like a brother,” was killed in a car accident. The sophomore running back was given time away from the team, but returned determined to compete the way he knew his family would want. 

“You’ve got to turn grief into a purpose,” he said, “and I know my ‘Why.’”

Bothwell entered a running back room overflowing with talent. Davon Booth joined Bothwell on the Doak Walker Award watchlist this week after an impressive season in the backfield and on special teams, and senior Johnnie Daniels returns for another year after emerging for the Bulldogs in 2024. 

“They all bring a little bit of their own unique kind of flavor to it, but they’re all very well-rounded,” Tucker said of the group. “I mean, obviously, you see Fluff. He’s a bigger, more physically imposing guy, but also very well-rounded ball skills in the physical running style, but he does have good feet, he has some elusiveness.”

There’s stiff competition in the running back room, but the atmosphere isn’t toxic. There are plenty of carries to go around, and Bothwell sees the competition as an opportunity to help his teammates while developing his own skills. Even after a starring role as a freshman, he’s just as eager to learn as he is to contribute. 

“Being me and knowing what I can contribute, in short yardage or anything else, I can come in and help the team out,” Bothwell said. “Johnnie and them, they needed a breather last year. I’ve seen how they played. I just like being a part of a good running back room with two great leaders already here, and being able to learn from them.”