MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – All-State offensive tackle Marcellus Marshall has been one of the most sought-after linemen in recent history at Morgantown High. And on Wednesday, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound OT/DT, after garnering over 10 Division I offers from the likes of Fordham, JMU, Marshall and Temple, made his decision to play football at Kent State.
“There are a lot of people who are proud of me, so to reveal the school in front of all those people makes it special,” Marshall said. “I went on an official visit there over the weekend and got to spend a lot of time with the coaches. I love the coaching staff and the atmosphere up there, what they’ve started and what they’re going to continue to do.”
Signing to Kent State, a Division I school in the Mid-American Conference, Marshall makes the third lineman from Morgantown to go D1 since 2016, following Kyle Poland and Nick Malone who both signed with WVU. He’s the first to sign with a scholarship, though. And as for what he’s going to bring to Kent State, he simply said, “Everything.”
“[And] a good kid, that’s what everyone says,” he continued. “Someone ready to play and do whatever they ask.”
With three visits over the last two weekends, Marshall noted that the Golden Flashes stuck out the most to him.
“I felt like I fit in up there. That’s why I chose Kent State,” he said. “My mom [was the biggest influence on my decision]. My coach and one of my mentors Daniel Strosnider, [too]. It’s a big deal to represent [Morgantown at the D1 level].
“There’s a lot of athletes that came out of Morgantown, and to join that group and to put Morgantown on the map [is a big deal].”
Atmosphere, success, location – just 2 hours from home – and the opportunity to play as a freshman were multiple reasons why Marshall chose Kent State.
“It’s something I’ve got to work for, but anywhere you go you have to earn your spot on the team,” he said.
There was stress that came along with the recruiting process, though. With so many schools interested in Marshall, he would constantly receive phone calls – sometimes when he was busy and couldn’t answer, which is in itself stressful – but he said that it’s a relief to know where he’s going now. Aside from Kent State, his other top schools were JMU and Fordham. The Dukes (13-1), ranked No. 2 in the FCS, just shut out Northern Iowa on Friday to advance to the FCS semifinals. It’s the third time in four years that JMU has reached the semifinal round after getting knocked out of the bracket last year by Colgate in the second round. Should JMU win out, it would be its third national title in program history. Fordham ended its season 4-8 after defeated Bucknell University on Nov. 23.
But that’s neither here, nor there. Kent State (6-6) is currently riding a three-game win streak capped by a 34-26 win over Eastern Michigan and is en route to battle Utah State in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas. The Golden Flashes will play on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Other signees
Athena Young, cross-country and track, University of Kentucky
Although she made her announcement over Twitter in November, Young made her decision to run cross-country and track at Kentucky official on Wednesday.
“I had gone there for an indoor meet and liked the facilities,” Young said, “I talked to the coach and team and clicked, which made me excited to [sign with Kentucky].”
Academics was another reason, but it was a dream of hers to run at a “big school” which makes the signing that much sweeter.
“I never thought I’d have a chance until last year,” Young said. “When I started improving and qualified for nationals last year, it showed me I [could] run in college.”
The 2019 Class AAA girls’ cross-country state runner-up, Young has one more high school race in her sights before she heads to Lexington: New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York City. She didn’t qualify last year, but after her strong high school season and showing at Nike Regionals and Nationals, she’s hoping that she gets a shot this time around. The event is held from March 13-15, 2020, at The Armory in Washington Heights.
Jackson Core, cross-country and track, UNC-Asheville
After a successful senior season, Jackson Core made his decision to continue his running career at UNC-Asheville, a Division I program that’s part of the Big South Conference.
“I explored the Nike Smokey Mountain Running Camp last year, [and UNC-Asheville] hosts that,” Core said. “I had a friend who attended the school and fell in love with it, so he told me to look around while I was down there. The area, the coaches, people and lifestyle, is something I fell in love with.”
Although Asheville is the largest city in western North Carolina and plays host to the Biltmore Estate, it still holds onto its Appalachian roots and puts it on full display. The arts, whiskey, craft breweries and barbecue thrive there, but so do runners and that’s something Core is excited about.
“It’s somewhere right between where I’ve been my whole life and somewhere new, so it’s just far enough away that I’m going to get to explore myself a little bit,” he said. “It’s gorgeous. There are rail trails and in the middle of Appalachia so it’s perfect for me.”
Core knew he was ready to run in Division I in the early position of last year’s track season. As far as events go, he said he’s going to listen to his coaches and take on the role of the Bulldogs’ guinea pig “of sorts.” He’s hoping to get, “above or the equivalent of the 5k” in cross-country and middle distance to distance in track.
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