Tag: jason marshall

Florida’s starting cornerback says he’ll return for senior year

Florida Gators cornerback will return for his senior year in 2024.

The Gator Nation finally has something to cheer about this offseason, after a starting defensive back announced his commitment to return next season. UF cornerback [autotag]Jason Marshall[/autotag] made a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is returning to the football program for his senior year.

Marshall has made 38 appearances for the Orange and Blue, recording 78 total tackles along with 23 pass deflections and two interceptions.

The senior made a simple statement in his announcement graphic, reminiscing when NBA legend Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

“I’m back,” Marshall stated.

The post on Instagram also included a video of highlights during Marshall’s tenure with the Gators.

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The defensive back signed with Florida during the 2021 recruiting cycle when the Gators were still being led by former head coach Dan Mullen. Marshall stuck with the team through the coaching transition in 2022 when current coach Billy Napier took over.

Marshall is only the third player from the 2023 roster to officially announce his intentions to return next season, along with quarterback Graham Mertz and defensive tackle Cam Jackson.

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CFB Week 1 draft scouting spotlight: Utah vs. Florida

Looking at some of the 2024 NFL draft prospects from the matchup between Florida and Utah

After a nice appetizer in what was termed Week 0, this weekend sees college football explode onto the scene. Week 1 kicks off on Thursday night with a matchup of the Florida Gators and Utah Utes.

Last year’s meeting was the game that launched Gators QB Anthony Richardson into prominence. Richardson wound up being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and his three rushing TDs in the opener against Utah were part of that progress.

While there isn’t a surefire first-rounder on either roster, there are still quite a few prospects for the 2024 draft to watch in an appealing Pac-12 vs. SEC matchup.

As was the case a year ago, it starts at quarterback. Utah has a good one in Cam Rising, but he’s likely not playing while he continues to recover from a torn ACL. Florida’s Graham Mertz is among nine Gators who appear on the Senior Bowl’s preseason watch list, and the Wisconsin transfer can quickly elevate himself with a good showing.

Mertz gets some talented weaponry at his disposal. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall works well out of the slot and is adept at making catches away from his body. RB Montrell Johnson Jr. can break the big play and shows pretty good vision and acceleration through the hole without rushing the process.

Perhaps the most interesting Gator is TE Dante Zanders, who has flip-flopped between tight end and defense lineman and overhauled his physique in the process. Zanders only caught 10 passes a year ago, but he’s poised for a bigger senior season with positional stability and a leaner frame.

On defense, Florida offers CB Jason Marshall Jr. and bendy pass rusher Princely Umanmielen. Both have early-round draft potential. With Rising and top Utah TE Brant Kuithe sitting out, they could shine under the Western lights.

Utah’s top prospect expected to play is offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea. He’s one of the top interior offensive line talents in the early draft conversation and might be the best pulling run blocker in college football. He’s expected to play right tackle in 2023. Another TE, Thomas Yassmin, is one of 10 Utes on the preseason Senior Bowl watchlist.

Others to watch

Utah:

LB Micah Bernard

S Cole Bishop

OG Ethan Calvert

RB Ja’Quinden Jackson

DE Connor O’Toole

DT Junior Tafuna

CB Zemaiah Vaughn

Florida:

C Kingsley Eguakun

DB Jaydon Hill

OG Micah Mazzccua

S R.J. Moten

DT Cam Jackson

LB Scooby Williams

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2024 NFL draft: Preseason CB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason CB watch list and early rankings entering the 2023 college football season

The popular saying is true: no NFL team can ever have enough cornerbacks. More CBs are drafted each year than any other position, with no less than 36 selected in every draft since 2020.

With such a huge demand comes a giant group of aspiring collegiate corners. The early impression on the class is that there is room for a couple at the top to seize the bull by the horns and emerge as the best, while the next grouping is slightly lower-end than the similar tiers of the past couple of seasons at the same preseason point.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the cornerbacks in the NFL draft class of 2024.

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The Eagles land an All-SEC cornerback in Touchdown Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft

The Philadelphia Eagles land an All-SEC cornerback in Touchdown Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft

The Eagles are just 24 hours away from starting the 2023 training camp, but it is never too early for a look ahead to the 2024 NFL draft.

With James Bradberry and Darius Slay over 30, Philadelphia pivots towards adding another SEC cornerback.

In Touchdown Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft, the Eagles land Florida Gators defensive back, Jason Marshall.

Rated a five-star prospect and ranked as the No. 2 cornerback in the country, Marshall started at cornerback in 13 games for Florida, finishing the season with 29 tackles, eight pass breakups, 1 TFL, one interception, and a quarterback hurry…

Playing as the Gators’ top cover corner, Marshall led Florida in pass breakups last season with eight, had one interception, and allowed no touchdowns in over 300-plus coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

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These two Gators listed among Athlon Sports’ 2022 top-50 breakout players

Athlon Sports recently named its top 50 breakout players of 2022 and these two Gators made the cut.

Florida football’s starting quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Jason Marshall[/autotag] have both been named to Athlon Sports’ top 50 breakout players for the 2022 season.

The list was compiled by Athlon Sports’ Steve Lassan and the Richardson analysis he provides is pretty consistent with what Gainesville outsiders tend to believe. His talent is unquestioned. His size and agility are qualities that any coach would want in their singular caller. With more experience as the starter, Richardson should fine-tune those traits and become a well-rounded starter in the SEC.

With that said, here is what Lassan had to say about Florida’s starting quarterback.

Talent and upside aren’t lacking for Richardson, and the hope in Gainesville is new coach Billy Napier can help the sophomore develop more overall consistency for 2022. Richardson showcased big-play ability (8.1 yards per play) but also needs to cut down on the mistakes (five picks on 64 attempts). The guess here is Napier elevates Richardson’s play this fall.

Marshall, on the other hand, isn’t being discussed in the same way that his offensive teammate has been talked about this off-season. The standout defensive back out of Palmetto High in Miami played at a level that is synonymous with the DBU moniker, though he showed signs of inexperience as well.

Lassan references the numbers, and while a great indicator of how well Marshall played as a true freshman, it doesn’t show how Marshall will undoubtedly improve with new cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond. The sky is the limit for the former five-star recruit.

Here is what Lassan had to say about the Marshall.

Marshall ranked as a five-star prospect in Florida’s 2021 class and didn’t disappoint in his first year on campus. Per PFF, he was targeted 38 times over 634 snaps and allowed just 14 receptions in 13 games. The Miami native also recorded 23 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Marshall is already on his way to a spot among the top cornerbacks in the SEC.

Richardson, Marshall and the rest of their fellow Gators kick off their season at home against the No. 7 Utah Utes on Saturday, September 3, at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

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Florida cornerback named to ESPN’s preseason true freshman All-American list

Florida cornerback Jason Marshall could see a big role as a true freshman in light of the season-ending injury to Jaydon Hill.

Despite the on-field improvements across the board under coach Dan Mullen, there’s one area the Gators continue to lag behind in: recruiting. Mullen has never had a class at Florida finish better than ninth in the country, and UF has especially struggled to land five-star recruits.

But the 2021 class, which finished ranked 12th in the country (per the 247Sports Composite), featured one of the biggest recruiting wins of the Mullen era when five-star Miami Palmetto cornerback Jason Marshall gave the team his pledge. Marshall, the No. 29 player in the nation, was the highest-rated recruit in Florida’s signing class.

He was expected to see some action as a reserve in 2021, but that changed when presumed starter Jaydon Hill went down in fall camp with a season-ending ACL tear. Now, Marshall will compete with transfers Elijah Blades and Jadarrius Perkins for the starting spot opposite Kaiir Elam.

Marshall was already a highly anticipated player, and now it seems that injuries will force him to play a more significant role in Year 1 than many expected. For that reason, ESPN named Marshall to its true freshman preseason All-American team.

Marshall is expected to restore the DBU moniker as a young leader in a revamped secondary. The No. 44 overall prospect in the 2021 class will likely man the cornerback spot opposite Kaiir Elam.

As Tom Luginbill notes, Florida hasn’t been able to stake a strong claim on the DBU title in a while now, but with Elam and Marshall lined up in the defensive backfield, it may be making a comeback. Like Marshall, injuries thrust Elam into a bigger role than was anticipated in 2019, and he shined in the absence of C.J. Henderson.

The Gators will hope for a similar arc from Marshall, who looks to be a difference-maker for a secondary that, outside of Elam, struggled mightily in 2020.

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247Sports picks this cornerback as Florida’s breakout freshman for 2021

Florida’s defense was unacceptable during the 2020-2021 season, but their secondary should improve with this freshman cornerback.

While the Gators were able to muster an offensive output to rival anyone in the college game last season, their defensive squad was reprehensibly terrible and a large part of that blame falls on the defensive secondary. Florida’s fortunes have a good chance to rebound next season, though. In a recent article, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer pegged cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. as the team’s breakout freshman.

Marshall Jr. is hardly a surprising choice for Hummer’s list. As the second-rated cornerback in the 2021 recruiting class, the five-star Miami native leads the Gators’ latest crop of incoming freshmen. Additionally, he should have the opportunity to get plenty of reps as Florida’s best cornerback, Marco Wilson, departs for the NFL and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham overhauls his defense.

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Florida was able to beat out some of the most marketable brands in college football to bring Marshall, Jr. into the pack. He had offers from over two dozen schools, including the then-reining champion Clemson Tigers, last year’s champs in the Alabama Crimson Tide, as well as his hometown Miami ‘Canes.

As an early enrollee, Marshall, Jr. was able to participate with the team through spring practice and left a strong impression on his new running mates. In fact, safety Trey Dean III singled him out when questioned on which of the freshman were most impressive during the team’s spring reps.

In their most recent evaluation from only a few months ago, 247Sports was highly complimentary of Marshall Jr.’s abilities in the passing game. “Smooth backpedal allows him to stay balanced in reverse. Often times looking to jam a wide receiver and disrupt timing, [he] does a nice job of mirroring routes downs the field,” wrote Andrew Ivins, the southeast recruiting analyst.

The Gators’ defense has nowhere to go but up. Marshall Jr. will have a lot to do with that resurgence, and as their offense is gutted by pro teams looking to restock their own shelves, it will certainly be a welcome development.

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Florida Gators in mix for three more 2021 top football prospects

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for the top remaining uncommitted prospects with UF making the cut for 3 of the names.

Currently consisting of 24 members, the Florida Gators’ 2021 recruiting class is ranked No. 6 in America and third-best in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), per the 247Sports Composite.

This grade is already the highest of any of the four classes compiled during head coach Dan Mullen’s tenure, and the program appears primed to add even more firepower to the group.

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for five of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the cycle on August 26 (subscription required), with the Gators making the cut for three of the names.

According to VanHaaren, the player to watch is Vanguard (Ocala, Florida) four-star strong-side defensive end Bryce Langston, a teammate of fellow 2021 Florida commit Trevonte Rucker, a four-star wide receiver.

“Langston had been committed to Florida since 2018 but decommitted in 2019,” VanHaaren pointed out.

“That was a case in which a prospect made a decision too soon, backed off, but still had interest in the school. The Gators continued pursuing him, and Langston was able to visit campus before the dead period was put in place.

“The lack of any visits might help Florida get him in the end. Without the opportunity to take an actual visit and see a place like LSU in person for a game, that could make a big difference in any recruit’s process.”

Listed at 6-foot-2.5-inches and 250 pounds, Langston is the 247Sports Composite’s No. 11 player at his position in the class and a top-20 player in the state. Echoing VanHaaren’s prediction, the Gators hold all six of his Crystal Ball Predictions, including ones from Blake Alderman and Steve Wiltfong.

One of the other prospects Florida made the shortlist for was Robinson Secondary (Fairfax, Virginia) five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh.

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Gators commit Jason Marshall named to high school All-America list

Marshall, who is No. 29 in the 2021 recruiting class and No. 2 overall cornerback, is the highest-rated recruit in Florida’s class.

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Florida commit Jason Marshall, a five-star cornerback from Palmetto High School in Miami, was featured on this year’s high school All-America list from USA TODAY heading into the 2020 season, landing on the second team.

Marshall, who is the No. 29 player in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 2 overall cornerback according to the 247Sports Composite, is the highest-rated recruit in Florida’s class.

Here’s USA TODAY’s profile of Marshall.

The No. 2-ranked cornerback in the nation per 247sports, Marshall had 44 tackles, five interceptions and 15 passes defended last season.

Class of 2021

Height/Weight: 6-2/180

College commitment: Florida

If Marshall signs with the Gators, UF coach Dan Mullen will have earned the commitment of a five-star recruit in back-to-back cycles after landing the No. 12 overall player in Gervon Dexter in 2020.

Florida previously hadn’t signed a composite five-star since Martez Ivey and CeCe Jefferson in 2015, the first class under former coach Jim McElwain.

Marshall committed to the Gators over Miami on Aug. 9, and the next day, his Palmetto teammate safety Corey Collier also announced his commitment to Florida. Collier is currently the second-highest rated recruit in Mullen’s 2021 class.

With the likely impending departure of cornerback Marco Wilson after the 2020 season, Marshall could see a chance for early playing time when he joins the Gators in 2021.

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In-state recruiting key for Florida’s growing momentum

That class formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance 2008-09, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Despite earning double-digit wins in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the Florida football program, coach Dan Mullen has received criticism for his recruiting success (or lack thereof). The Gators have landed top-10 recruiting classes in 2019 and 2020, but those classes weren’t elite in terms of the rest of the SEC, falling fifth and sixth, respectively.

But in the last week, Mullen received pledges from a pair of Miami prospects and teammates at Palmetto High School — five-star cornerback Jason Marshall and four-star safety Corey Collier. Those two additions became the highest-rated prospects in the class on the 247Sports Composite, and they bumped UF’s class up to the No. 6 spot in the nation.

A major reason for Florida’s success in this recruiting cycle is its ability to keep top Floridian prospects in-state. Nineteen players in the 2021 class hail from the state, the most since Urban Meyer’s 2007 class.

That class featured Sunshine State prospects like the Pouncey twins, Major Wright, Ahmad Black and Chris Rainey. It formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance in 2008 and 2009, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Recruiting the state is much harder than it was a decade ago, as top out-of-state programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU all have made in-roads at high schools throughout the state. If Mullen begins to retain state talent at similar rates to what Meyer did in the late 2000s, it would bode well for the future of the UF program, which is still searching for its first conference title since 2008.

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