Marshal Davis – Prelude

At 6’1 270lbs with a max Bench press of 335lbs and a 4.68 Shuttle, Defensive Tackle Marshal Davis carries many of the physical attributes required of his position. There’s room to add weight and opportunity to knock a little time off the Shuttle. There’s also plenty of time to achieve those improvements. Possibly most intriguing about the Powell (OH) DT is the “plenty of time” note. Davis just wrapped up his Sophomore season….of High school. The fact Davis is a member of the ’14 class has caught not only my attention, but that of high profile D1 football programs nationwide. Oregon has expressed interest. As have Pitt, Western Kentucky, Akron, Arizona State, and Louisville. Rare is the pre-junior year football player to garner legit D1 interest, specifically at a non-glory position such as Defensive Tackle. Davis has peaked the interest, and now looks to cultivate interest into offers.

In researching this article I came across a Marshal Davis highlight package housed at Hudl.com. The first sequence has 7-10 seconds of footage capturing the refs sorting out ball placement and a clearly tired Davis (with hands on hips) trying to catch a breather before the snap. The refs blow the whistle and the QB drops back only to lose the grip on an attempted hand-off. Davis beats his man off the line, scoops up the loose ball, and proceeds to rumble 83 yards for the Touchdown. On a side note, Davis was quick to point out this took place during the Olegtangy Homecoming game which firmly established his place as “the man that weekend”. The highlight footage goes on to show Davis tracking down ball-carriers from the backside of the play, moving Offensive Lineman into their own backfield, and several spin moves which leave his would-be blocker flailing for something to block. Impressive stuff out of any DT, but kept in the context of a then-sophomore performance out of Davis, it is difficult not projecting big things from and for the big man.

Far from a finished product, Davis is the first to admit there remains room for improvement. He has a tendency to get high on his blocker and lose leverage. At the High school level he remains able to out-muscle this technique flaw, but D1 Coaches will take note and D1 Offensive Linemen would take advantage if this is not corrected. A 4.68 20yd Shuttle time is more than respectable, but securing a sub-4.6 would boost his recruiting stock and should translate to a improved burst off the line/snap. The 270lbs Davis carries will certainly get it done at the High school level and I see no reason for him to add to it. At this point the goal should be increased strength over added bulk. Davis’ pass rushing skills seem (at this point) largely centered on the bull-rush technique. A swim move could prove a huge addition and would give the opposing OL another technique to prepare for and worry about. As previously noted, there remains ample time to refine and add to technique. Davis has proven highly active during the recent football camp rotation and time in front of and with collegiate coaches should only benefit the ’14 prospect.

It’s too early to project Marshal Davis at the NCAA level, but I’m certainly comfortable noting he appears on the path to a D1 opportunity. He appears to possess the drive and focus necessary to improve his game and handle his business in the classroom. Assuming both hold true the big man could put small school Olegtangy High square on the screen of plenty of Coaches GPS units as they look to secure the talents of the ’14 DT. The last couple of yards of the Marshal Davis 83 yd fumble recovery for a TD may have taxed the young man’s cardio, but the next couple seasons of Powell (OH) football should prove far more challenging for the young men assigned to block him. May be a good idea to archive this post and review come ’14. Best guess has Mr. Davis the subject of a potentially heated recruiting battle and this article a nice prelude to a potentially well-documented football career.