Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Marshall becoming go-to receiver for MT offense
10/16/2019 6:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Over the last couple of seasons, Middle Tennessee has searched for a big-play receiver with size to dominate outside defenders.
The Blue Raiders have seemed to always have smaller, speedier slot receivers — guys like Richie James and Ty Lee who are built tough but stand less than 6 feet tall.
As the first half of this season has come and gone, it looks like redshirt sophomore quarterback Asher O'Hara and fourth-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklin have found that sizeable big-play wideout in junior Jimmy Marshall.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Marshall has all of the physical attributes to be a dynamic weapon in MT's offense. Over the last couple of games, especially, he's proving that the rest of his game is starting to catch up to that size.
"The coaches are putting their trust in me and putting me in place to make plays," he said. "We have a good quarterback right now, too, who's making plays, putting the ball where it needs to be and getting in space and doing what he needs to do."
Marshall, who's actually Jimmy Marshall III, has always been big and athletic, thanks in part to his tall parents, Jimmy Jr. and Latascha Owens-Marshall.
He reached 6 foot as an eighth-grader, also the same year he dunked a basketball for the first time.
Initially, he thought his fate was on the hardwood, and it might not have been a bad choice. He was named to the Future 150 Camp in Birmingham, Alabama as a high school junior, and his AAU team, Macon Buck Association, won the 2015 USBA national championship with Marshall averaging 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, five assists, seven blocks and five steals per game in the national tournament.
A setback changed those basketball plans, though.
"In ninth grade, I wanted to be a basketball player, but I tore my ACL in 10th grade and couldn't play football, and I missed it," he said. "After that, when I healed up, I wanted to only play football. That's all I wanted to do."
There was a bit of a problem for Marshall on the football field, however.
At his high school, Tattnall Square Academy, in his hometown of Macon, Georgia, head coach Chance Jones utilized a wing-T offense, which uses multiple running backs and is primarily a rushing offense. For a wide receiver, the opportunities can be few and far between.
Marshall made the most of it, though, setting the school's all-time single-season receiving yards and receptions records as a junior with 43 catches, 615 yards and six touchdowns. He also stood out as a defensive back.
He followed in his senior year with 18 receptions for 302 yards and four touchdowns, helping to lead the team to a Region 7-1A championship and Class 1A private school semifinal berth. He even threw a couple of touchdowns on trick plays.
"Playing in the wing-T, it was tough, and I was hard on myself," he said. "But, I've never been a selfish person … I did what I had to do. I even threw a couple of touchdown passes."
While his stats might not have jumped off the page, because of the offense he was playing in as a wide receiver, Middle Tennessee took notice of Marshall before his senior season.
He committed to the Blue Raiders before his final year at Tattnall Square, then made it official on National Signing Day.
"[MT head coach Rick Stockstill] was the biggest reason I committed here," Marshall said. "He was always loyal … and the team felt like home when I came up here on my visit. It was where I wanted to be."
It took quite a bit of work over the summer before Marshall's freshman season at Middle Tennessee to get used to playing in an offense that wasn't a wing-T.
He caught eight passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns his first year as a Blue Raider, then five for 107 yards last season.
With a new quarterback under center for the blue and white this year, Marshall has ticked his performance up a notch.
O'Hara and Marshall have connected 13 times for 226 yards and a touchdown, coming on a 59-yard catch and run against Michigan in the first game of the season.
"Last year, I liked throwing to Jimmy a lot because of his height and stuff," O'Hara said. "This year, we've been talking more and communicating on routes and trying to get on the same page. Our chemistry feels like it's getting better every day, and we're having fun.
"I have seen what he's capable of this year. Coach Franklin always says Jimmy's an NFL guy, he just has to see that himself. He's becoming a real weapon in this offense."
The chemistry between O'Hara and his biggest target is growing with every practice and every route.
If that continues, Marshall will be a headache for opposing defenses to handle. He has the size, and it appears the rest of his game is coming together.
"Me and Asher have been growing a lot," he said. "Every time something goes wrong, I'm just letting him know I'm behind him, regardless.
"I've been really focused lately. Anything can happen, so I just have to keep that chemistry with my boys … as long as the team's good, I'm good."
The Blue Raiders have seemed to always have smaller, speedier slot receivers — guys like Richie James and Ty Lee who are built tough but stand less than 6 feet tall.
As the first half of this season has come and gone, it looks like redshirt sophomore quarterback Asher O'Hara and fourth-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklin have found that sizeable big-play wideout in junior Jimmy Marshall.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Marshall has all of the physical attributes to be a dynamic weapon in MT's offense. Over the last couple of games, especially, he's proving that the rest of his game is starting to catch up to that size.
"The coaches are putting their trust in me and putting me in place to make plays," he said. "We have a good quarterback right now, too, who's making plays, putting the ball where it needs to be and getting in space and doing what he needs to do."
Marshall, who's actually Jimmy Marshall III, has always been big and athletic, thanks in part to his tall parents, Jimmy Jr. and Latascha Owens-Marshall.
He reached 6 foot as an eighth-grader, also the same year he dunked a basketball for the first time.
Initially, he thought his fate was on the hardwood, and it might not have been a bad choice. He was named to the Future 150 Camp in Birmingham, Alabama as a high school junior, and his AAU team, Macon Buck Association, won the 2015 USBA national championship with Marshall averaging 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, five assists, seven blocks and five steals per game in the national tournament.
A setback changed those basketball plans, though.
"In ninth grade, I wanted to be a basketball player, but I tore my ACL in 10th grade and couldn't play football, and I missed it," he said. "After that, when I healed up, I wanted to only play football. That's all I wanted to do."
There was a bit of a problem for Marshall on the football field, however.
At his high school, Tattnall Square Academy, in his hometown of Macon, Georgia, head coach Chance Jones utilized a wing-T offense, which uses multiple running backs and is primarily a rushing offense. For a wide receiver, the opportunities can be few and far between.
Marshall made the most of it, though, setting the school's all-time single-season receiving yards and receptions records as a junior with 43 catches, 615 yards and six touchdowns. He also stood out as a defensive back.
He followed in his senior year with 18 receptions for 302 yards and four touchdowns, helping to lead the team to a Region 7-1A championship and Class 1A private school semifinal berth. He even threw a couple of touchdowns on trick plays.
"Playing in the wing-T, it was tough, and I was hard on myself," he said. "But, I've never been a selfish person … I did what I had to do. I even threw a couple of touchdown passes."
While his stats might not have jumped off the page, because of the offense he was playing in as a wide receiver, Middle Tennessee took notice of Marshall before his senior season.
He committed to the Blue Raiders before his final year at Tattnall Square, then made it official on National Signing Day.
"[MT head coach Rick Stockstill] was the biggest reason I committed here," Marshall said. "He was always loyal … and the team felt like home when I came up here on my visit. It was where I wanted to be."
It took quite a bit of work over the summer before Marshall's freshman season at Middle Tennessee to get used to playing in an offense that wasn't a wing-T.
He caught eight passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns his first year as a Blue Raider, then five for 107 yards last season.
With a new quarterback under center for the blue and white this year, Marshall has ticked his performance up a notch.
O'Hara and Marshall have connected 13 times for 226 yards and a touchdown, coming on a 59-yard catch and run against Michigan in the first game of the season.
"Last year, I liked throwing to Jimmy a lot because of his height and stuff," O'Hara said. "This year, we've been talking more and communicating on routes and trying to get on the same page. Our chemistry feels like it's getting better every day, and we're having fun.
"I have seen what he's capable of this year. Coach Franklin always says Jimmy's an NFL guy, he just has to see that himself. He's becoming a real weapon in this offense."
The chemistry between O'Hara and his biggest target is growing with every practice and every route.
If that continues, Marshall will be a headache for opposing defenses to handle. He has the size, and it appears the rest of his game is coming together.
"Me and Asher have been growing a lot," he said. "Every time something goes wrong, I'm just letting him know I'm behind him, regardless.
"I've been really focused lately. Anything can happen, so I just have to keep that chemistry with my boys … as long as the team's good, I'm good."
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