Tag: Woody Marks

2025 Senior Bowl: Five prospects I’m most excited about watching

2025 Senior Bowl: Five prospects I’m most excited about watching this week in Mobile

One of the best weeks of the year is finally here with the 2025 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama! For me, this is my 7th season covering the event and it’s always such a surreal experience. From the talent on the field to bumping elbows with key personnel members of each NFL team, it’s always humbling.

As we move onto draft season, the Senior Bowl is the first step for the off-season. The players at this event get their first crack at trying to impress NFL decision makers. If there’s any struggles or concerns with a specific player, teams will adjust their draft boards accordingly. The same goes for the players that make a strong impression.

Now that my draft board is starting to take shape, here’s five prospects that I’m most excited about here in Mobile for the 2025 Senior Bowl!

Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr 

Not enough people are talking about Fannin as one of the better prospects in this draft or even at his position. Now, I’m not discrediting Colston Loveland from Michigan or Tyler Warren from Penn State but Fannin should be in the same category as both of them for the top tight end in this draft.

As for the talent at the Senior Bowl, Fannin is near the top for best players here. His production is off the charts with 117 receptions for over 1500 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition to that, he’s only got a 2.2% drop rate and was asked to do a variety of things in the Falcons offense such as blocking, catching, passing and he even has 33 carries for five touchdowns in his career.

Teams will love his ability to threaten defenses vertically. Going up the seam, getting open and running after the catch is a great perk to his game. When running routes, he consistently dips his shoulders to avoid contact from defenders and it helps keep him clean as he looks to change direction in and out of his breaks. During the draft, he’ll only be 20 years old, so teams should be jumping at the chance to mold him into the next great tight end. Look for him to have a strong week in Mobile.

Texas A&M DL Shemar Stewart

The Aggies have three defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, and two of them have the first name Shemar. I’ll talk about one here and the other in a separate article. For starters, we’ve got to talk about Shemar Stewart. He’s listed at 6’6″ and 285 pounds and he screams first round talent.

Stewart has a nice blend of speed and power to his game but there’s an arsenal of moves that he uses and it’s very impressive. For example, you’ll find him take a post step and create separation with his inside arm but while maintaining that separation, he can counter inside or outside on the opposition.

 

The lack of production will be concerning — only 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in three seasons. However, teams will be chomping at the bit to try and develop his rare physical traits into something that is elite. Stewart will be labeled as one of the better prospects in Mobile, and he’s got a chance to solidify his status as a first-round pick.

USC RB Woody Marks 

There’s a lot of love for running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft and you can add USC running back Woody Marks to that list. Potentially, he’s one of the most underrated players in Mobile and in the entire draft. Highly productive during his 57 games played and five year collegiate career, we saw Marks really take off for USC this season.

After four seasons at Mississippi State, Marks transferred to the Trojans and saw his first season with over 1000 rushing yards. Most importantly, his production as a pass catcher didn’t decline. This season, he had 47 receptions for 321 yards.

 

Overall, Marks will be primarily viewed as a pass catcher. After all, he’s recorded 261 receptions for over 1500 yards in his career. But don’t let that fool you, he’s got good vision and burst to make defenders regret poor angles when he attempting to tackle him. In high school, he was on the track and field team and his PR for the 100-meter dash was 11.16 seconds as a junior. On his scouting report, I wrote down “open field nightmare” so we’ll see if he proves me right this week at the Senior Bowl.

Missouri OT Armand Membou

Just off studying some of the tape of each offensive lineman at the Senior Bowl, it appears that Armand Membou from Missouri is the best one in Mobile. It felt like he may go “under the radar” some with the love for other offensive tackles in this class, but that’s starting to change quickly. Through some of the limited measurements recorded so far for players at the Senior Bowl, Membou checked in at 6036, 332 and 3400 arms.

 

Membou was a 13-game starter at right tackle for Missouri this season. He’s got a thick frame with a strong lower half. He’s consistently square with his base in the run and also the pass game. For a player of his size, he moves well laterally when zone blocking. That lateral movement helps him reach block effectively but it also helps him follow or stay attached to a guard with his drag hand when blocking in zone.

There were times on tape that his foot speed would get tested against line stunts and blitzes. Additionally, his hand placement can hit wide in pass protection. Seeing how those aspects of his game improve throughout the week will be important.

Florida State CB Azareye’h Thomas

During the draft process last year, I loved what I saw from Renardo Green at Florida State. Compared to the consensus, Green ranked relatively high for me and it’s trending in that same direction for his college teammate, Azareye’h Thomas.

https://x.com/RussNFLDraft/status/1883933450450919471

The Florida State corner is listed at 6’2″ and 198 pounds and really looks the part on the perimeter. He’s at his best when playing press-man and he ONLY gave up 94 total yards this season.

Playing with tremendous body control and fluidity, Thomas just always seems to be in the right place at the right time. His arm length is a bonus for how he can break up passes but jamming and redirecting receivers is what he does best. Teams searching for a boundary corner will be intrigued with Thomas’ skill set, and if all goes right, they should go from being intrigued to in love after the Senior Bowl.

USC freshmen running backs answer the call in Las Vegas Bowl

USC got something out of its younger running backs, who made the most of their opportunity in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Heading into USC football’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Texas A&M Friday night, we knew the Trojans’ running back room would be significantly depleted.

Top running back Woody Marks, who is headed to the NFL, opted out of the game. No. 2 back Quinten Joyner also entered the transfer portal, leaving the Trojans with just two scholarship backs—both freshmen—left on the roster.

Those two running backs were true freshman Bryan Jackson and redshirt freshman A’Marion Peterson. Both young players stepped up when their name was called, combining for 28 carries, 109 yards, and a touchdown.

It was exactly the type of performance that USC needed from the two players. Given that they trailed for nearly the entire game, the Trojans were forced to throw the ball more than they ran it. But they were able to get enough production in the ground out of their two young backs to make A&M’s defense respect their run game, in turn opening things up for quarterback Jayden Maiava and the passing game.

With Eli Sanders transferring in from New Mexico, the Trojans will get a big boost in their running back room heading into to next season. After their impressive performance Friday night, however, Jackson and Peterson put themselves in prime position to compete for significant playing time in 2025.

One fact shows why USC football fell short in the Big Ten this year

USC placed just one player on the Big Ten’s first team this year, and it was the punter. Few facts will tell a simpler story about the Trojans in 2024.

There are many indicators and telling facts which explain why USC football fell woefully short in Big Ten football competition this year. Earlier this week, the Big Ten announced its all-conference football teams for the 2024 season.

In a rather fitting development just one Trojans made the first team. Who was it, you ask? Why, that would be punter Eddie Czaplicki, of course.

Czaplicki being the lone Trojan to earn all-conference honors was a rather fitting microcosm of USC’s season. The Trojans struggled offensively throughout the year, with Czaplicki frequently needing to bail them out in terms of field position.

Two USC players did earn second team all-Big Ten honors: offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon and running back Woody Marks. The Trojans also had four players on the third team: offensive lineman Jonah Monheim, cornerback Jaylin Smith, long snapper Hank Pepper, and return specialist Makai Lemon.

In addition, Lemon was an all-conference honorable mention at wide receiver. Also earning honorable mention recognition were linebacker Easton Macarena’s-Arnold, offensive lineman Elijah Paige, tight end Lake McRee, safety Kmari Ramsey, and defensive lineman Gavin Meyer.

The Trojans finished the regular season 6-6, and await their bowl game destination.

Woody Marks’ excellence was fun to watch, but it was the exception for USC

USC running back Woody Marks eclipsed stats that had not been seen by a Trojan running back for 10 years. Yet, Lincoln Riley didn’t use him enough.

The USC Trojans finished their season with a 49-35 loss against Notre Dame to finish with a 6-6 record, concluding a lackluster performance from head coach Lincoln Riley and company. In a season that looked promising after a major early win against LSU but then quickly fell apart, Riley made a quarterback change and earned continued outrage from fans. There were few major bright spots, but those bright spots should not be overlooked. Start with running back Woody Marks.

In his lone season as a Trojan, after spending four years at Mississippi State, Marks set career highs across the board. He finished the season with 198 carries for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns while also hauling in 47 receptions for 321 yards.

Marks became the first Trojans running back to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since 2017 when Ronald Jones II went for 1,550. He also became the Trojans’ first running back to have more than 40 receptions since Javorious Allen in 2014.

His early exit in Saturday’s game, due to a head injury, snapped his 56-game reception streak, which was the longest in the nation.

In a season with many ups and downs, Woody Marks was a constant workhorse for the Trojans and in one season put his name in the school’s history.

One can only imagine how high he could have climbed if he played for the Trojans his entire career. One also has to note that Lincoln Riley did not build the offense around Marks to the extent he should have. That will be a lingering point of regret and frustration for USC fans.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Woody Marks continues to show that he is USC’s best offensive player

Woody Marks continues to deliver for USC. In a lost season with so many frustrations and failures, Marks has been a clear shining light for the Trojans.

For the past week, the majority of the attention surrounding USC football has been dedicated to the quarterback position. With head coach Lincoln Riley opting to replace Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava prior to Saturday’s game against Nebraska, Maiava’s play was under a microscope the entire afternoon. On Saturday, however, we were treated to a reminder that the Trojans’ best offensive player is neither Moss, nor Maiava, nor any quarterback. Rather, it is star running back Woody Marks.

Against Nebraska, Marks delivered yet another impressive performance, carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards. In addition, he caught six passes for 36 yards.

Marks has now gone over 100 yards rushing in six of USC’s ten games this season. On Saturday, he became the first Trojan to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Ronald Jones in 2017. (We should point out that Travis Dye was well on his way to surpassing the mark in 2022 prior to suffering a season-ending injury against Colorado with multiple games left in the season.)

Marks’s best play of the day came in the biggest moment. With under six minutes remaining in the game and USC leading 21-20, the Trojans faced a 4th and 1 from the Nebraska 47 yard line.

Marks decided to put the team on his back and take matters into his own hands. He cut through the defense and burst down the sideline for a 34-yard gain, giving the Trojans a first down at the Nebraksa 13 yard-line. Four plays later, USC was in the end zone with a much-needed insurance touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

On paper, that drive will go down as having ended with Maiava touchdown run. But don’t get things twisted: By far the most important play on that drive (and arguably of the game) belonged to Marks.

With the game in the balance, Lincoln Riley put the ball in the hands of his best offensive player. And boy, did he deliver.

Obviously, quarterback is the most important position in not just football, but in all of sports. It is pretty much impossible to win in today’s day and age without a good signal-caller.

But even in today’s era of pass-happy attacks and spread offenses, running backs still matter. As we were reminded on Saturday, the Trojans have a pretty darn good one.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

National columnist says Miller Moss is taking the fall for Lincoln Riley at USC

Miller Moss is not the problem with the USC Trojans’ struggles, rather Lincoln Riley is covering up his own failure.

After starting the season 3-1 and moving up to No. 11 in the AP Poll, the USC Trojans plummeted with losses to Minnesota, Penn State, and Maryland. The Trojans are just 1-3 in their last four games, but the weight of the struggle seems to have fallen on the wrong shoulders.

It was announced earlier this week that quarterback Miller Moss lost the starting job to transfer Jayden Maiava, but Moss and the offense are not entirely the problem. The Trojans have scored 21 or more points in eight of their nine games this season while scoring 28 or more in three of their last four.

This season, Moss has a 64.3% completion rate with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Four players — Woody Marks, Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, and Ja’Kobi Lane — all have 32 or more receptions, while Lane (5) and Lemon (3) are amongst the teams’ top TD targets.

The Trojans rank fifth in points scored this season in the Big Ten behind Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

While the offense surely has room to improve, it is clearly still performing at high levels, which begs the question: Is Lincoln Riley just using Miller Moss as a scapegoat to cover up his atrocity of a season?

College football columnist Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire makes a good point when he notes that the quarterback is far from the only reason USC has struggled in 2024. This is not a one-man problem:

Moss didn’t play particularly well in their last game against the Washington Huskies, turning the ball over with three interceptions. Moss doesn’t have terrible numbers by any stretch but this feels like someone having to take the fall. Maiava could provide a spark for this team but even when the quarterback play has been good, this team has found ways to lose.

USC has lost as a team this year, meaning that in the games USC lost, the blame generally couldn’t be placed on any one player or position group. Some position groups have been more disappointing than others, but a little bit of everything has gone wrong in these games. To an extent, the move to Jayden Maiava might be Lincoln Riley’s way of hoping that the other USC players will step up to help their quarterback.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Is Woody Marks the best under-the-radar player of 2024?

USC running back Woody Marks is making national headlines this season, and he was superb in the Trojans’ Week 10’s game at Washington.

In his first season with the USC Trojans after coming over from Mississippi State, running back Woody Marks has already blown away many of his previous career highs. He has 155 carries for 878 yards with 9 touchdowns this season with career-highs in carries, yards, yards per carry, and longest rush. With his TD on Saturday night against Washington, he tied his career high mark for touchdowns in a season, set back in 2022.

In last week’s 42-20 win over Rutgers, the fifth-year back exploded for 94 yards and 3 TDs. He has eclipsed 80 yards in seven of the Trojans’ nine games this season, including each of the last five weeks.

On Saturday against Washington, he tore up the defense. This turned out to be his fifth game this season with more than 100 yards rushing.

Marks is finally starting to get the credit he deserves. He was marked as the best under-the-radar running back of 2024 by CBS Sports.

He will continue to be an integral part of the Trojans’ offense moving forward, especially in a big home game later this month against a struggling Nebraska squad that has lost back-to-back games.

In a difficult season for USC, there’s no question Woody Marks has been one of the brightest shining lights for the Trojans.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Makai Lemon, Woody Marks bust out the big plays for USC

Makai Lemon and Woody Marks helped the USC offense roar to life against Rutgers. Can they sustain this level of play in November?

The USC football team, particularly the offense, was finally able to put the pieces together on Saturday. The Trojans scored 42 points. They won easily. They didn’t allow an opponent to stay close deep into the fourth quarter, or at any point in the fourth quarter. This was more like it. This is how USC is supposed to look. Makai Lemon and Woody Marks had a large hand in making this game go smoothly for the Men of Troy.

Lemon uncorked an 80-yard kick return in which he faked out the Rutgers kick coverage unit. He finished with 256 all-purpose yards, 134 receiving and 122 returning. Marks scored three touchdowns and was an elite weapon as a runner and a receiver. Rutgers had no answer for either player. The Trojans received elite performances from their quarterback, Miller Moss, and from thier WR1 (Lemon) and RB1 (Marks). When the quarterback, top receiver, and top running back are all clicking, that’s a recipe for success.

Now comes the harder part: doing this in November against better opposition and tougher defenses. Let’s see if USC can pull it off and finish the season in style.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

USC running backs prepare for big test against Michigan

The USC running game will get a stiff and extensive test against Michigan in the biggest Big Ten game of the week on Sept. 21 in Ann Arbor.

The USC Trojans enter Week 4 coming off a 248-yard rushing performance against Utah State. The Aggies dropped their safeties to keep the Trojan receivers in front of them and challenged the USC to run. Naturally, the physical challenge for the Trojans will be considerable when they head to Ann Arobor. Michigan has an elite cornerback in Will Johnson and a defensive line stuffed with future NFL players. The Wolverines did lose a lot of key players from last season’s national championship roster, but most of those key losses were on the offensive side of the ball. The USC offense and, more specifically, the USC running backs should expect a tough and rugged test from the Michigan defense, especially the Wolverines’ defensive line.

Michigan will offer a true measurement of where USC’s offense and the Trojans’ running game stand in the early portion of the season. If the Trojans can ace this test in the Big House, they will know they are in position to do something special in 2024. Here’s a look at some of the photos I have taken of the USC running backs and the Trojan teammates who block for them:

USC running backs share the wealth, a great sign early in 2024 season

The great thing about the use of the USC running backs early in the 2024 season is that Lincoln Riley wants to rotate guys and keep them fresh. That’s smart.

The USC Trojans made a commitment to getting bigger in 2024. One of the reasons for this was to run the ball with consistency. The running backs stood to benefit from this change in philosophy, and we saw evidence of this in the physical performance against Utah State. USC’s 249 yards versus the Aggies represented the most on the ground by the Trojans since November of 2018 against the Oregon State Beavers. Woody Marks of Atlanta transferred to USC in the offseason from Mississippi State, where he was the leading receiver in Bulldog history. Marks is joined by three other running backs who all touched the rock against Utah State. Quinten Joyner got several carries against Utah State and looked like a very good RB2 behind Marks. Bryan Jackson got a little bit of work in mop-up time versus Utah State. A’Marion Peterson got some carries and was able to score a great second-effort touchdown, which excited all his USC teammates.

There’s a lot to like about these USC running backs. I caught them in action during Utah State. Get a look at these guys — they’re good, and if the wealth continues to be spread around, these running backs will be fresh for the heart of the Big Ten season in mid-October and into November: