Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
"Energy Lifter” Marley Cook powers the Blue Raider Defensive Line
9/7/2022 5:00:00 PM | Football
The redshirt sophomore and State Champion powerlifter dominates in the weight room and on the field
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Every time you spot Marley Cook, the redshirt sophomore defensive lineman has a smile on his face. In a D-Line room full of "class clowns", his teammate Ja'Kerrius Wyatt said, Cook is the guy the group looks toward to keep the energy up.
"He brings a type of energy that makes you go to work every day," Wyatt said. "He's just an energy lifter. He keeps positive energy, positive vibes."
Cook doesn't just put in the work to lift the energy of his team. He's also one of the best weight room competitors in the entire Blue Raider locker room. A two-time state champion in powerlifting as a high school athlete in Mississippi, Cook holds the defensive lines best mark in the bench press (33 reps of 225 lbs, with a max of 490 lbs), squat (635 lbs!) and the clean (385 lbs.).
That raw strength, combined with good speed as a defensive tackle, has made him one of the most vital cogs in the Blue Raider defense's four-man front that's being counted on to lead the MTSU defense in 2022.
"Marley is a very disruptive player," Wyatt said. "He's got speed and strength that you can't coach, it's just natural for him. He's different, he's a beast."
The speed is what first got Cook on MTSU's radar, when Dustin Royston (then one of the defensive line coaches) and Austin Silvoy (then the wide receivers coach) first met him at a camp in Memphis, Tenn. Cook ran the 40-yard dash as his first drill and made a good first impression.
"I ran my 40, and Coach Royston's eyes got bugged (out)," Cook recalled. "He was 'Yeah, that big man moving!'"
From there, it was an easy recruiting process on both sides to get Cook, a state champion in football as a senior at Water Valley High School, to Murfreesboro, with both head coach Rick Stockstill and defensive line coach Tommy West paying Cook a home visit.
"Once we got to know him personality wise, we knew he'd be a great fit here," West said. "Great kid, great family, knew he was the type of guy that we wanted in this program. When you meet his mom and dad, his brother, they're wonderful people, just good, salt of the earth people. And he's the exact same way."
On the field, Cook grinded out on the team's field goal block unit, a role he hadn't played until that point, but something that became a crucial way for him to get on the field early and show the staff what he had to offer.
"My first time playing, it was just a test, especially on special teams," Cook said. "I just took it as I've got to help this team out."
From there, Cook grew into being a part of the interior line rotation, where his strength combined with his speed made him an ideal pash rush threat from the inside, in addition to his help in stopping the run. Cook rotated in during the 2020 season, but he broke out in 2021, tallying 14 tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks with five QB hurries, while also adding in an interception and time spent on the offense's "Heavy D" package with Zaylin Wood and Jordan Ferguson, "take out his retired o-line jersey" he said at the time.
Off the field, Cook continued the success he had weightlifting in high school, a discipline he picked up from his high school strength coach. An attacking mentality, looking to be consistent in his form, saw him skyrocket up the record boards strength coach Matt Hickman keeps on the side wall of the MTSU weight room.
There's just one weightlifting activity in his wheelhouse, the deadlift, that Cook isn't at the top of the leaderboard. That honor belongs to Jordan Ferguson, who has Cook beat by just a handful of pounds. Something that, in the near future, Cook hopes to have bested Ferguson in. Ja'Kerrius Wyatt is confident Cook can do just that.
"I don't care what weight you have on there; he's going to do it fast and multiple times," Wyatt said. "He can make a lot of weight look like nothing."
Back on the gridiron, Tommy West says that Cook is going to be a name to watch for long time at MTSU, particularly with how much potential the young lineman has. Cook earned his first sack of the season on Saturday against James Madison.
"I think he finally realizes that there's a lot more out there for him," West said. "He's got a really high ceiling, and he's about halfway to what he can be. He'll keep getting better and better and better."
For Cook's part, he just wants to continue to raise the bar for an experienced defensive line room that feeds off of each other's success.
"Like Coach West said, the standard's real high," Cook said. "Let's go above that standard, keep on going up."
"He brings a type of energy that makes you go to work every day," Wyatt said. "He's just an energy lifter. He keeps positive energy, positive vibes."
Cook doesn't just put in the work to lift the energy of his team. He's also one of the best weight room competitors in the entire Blue Raider locker room. A two-time state champion in powerlifting as a high school athlete in Mississippi, Cook holds the defensive lines best mark in the bench press (33 reps of 225 lbs, with a max of 490 lbs), squat (635 lbs!) and the clean (385 lbs.).
That raw strength, combined with good speed as a defensive tackle, has made him one of the most vital cogs in the Blue Raider defense's four-man front that's being counted on to lead the MTSU defense in 2022.
"Marley is a very disruptive player," Wyatt said. "He's got speed and strength that you can't coach, it's just natural for him. He's different, he's a beast."
The speed is what first got Cook on MTSU's radar, when Dustin Royston (then one of the defensive line coaches) and Austin Silvoy (then the wide receivers coach) first met him at a camp in Memphis, Tenn. Cook ran the 40-yard dash as his first drill and made a good first impression.
"I ran my 40, and Coach Royston's eyes got bugged (out)," Cook recalled. "He was 'Yeah, that big man moving!'"
From there, it was an easy recruiting process on both sides to get Cook, a state champion in football as a senior at Water Valley High School, to Murfreesboro, with both head coach Rick Stockstill and defensive line coach Tommy West paying Cook a home visit.
"Once we got to know him personality wise, we knew he'd be a great fit here," West said. "Great kid, great family, knew he was the type of guy that we wanted in this program. When you meet his mom and dad, his brother, they're wonderful people, just good, salt of the earth people. And he's the exact same way."
On the field, Cook grinded out on the team's field goal block unit, a role he hadn't played until that point, but something that became a crucial way for him to get on the field early and show the staff what he had to offer.
"My first time playing, it was just a test, especially on special teams," Cook said. "I just took it as I've got to help this team out."
From there, Cook grew into being a part of the interior line rotation, where his strength combined with his speed made him an ideal pash rush threat from the inside, in addition to his help in stopping the run. Cook rotated in during the 2020 season, but he broke out in 2021, tallying 14 tackles, including 3.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks with five QB hurries, while also adding in an interception and time spent on the offense's "Heavy D" package with Zaylin Wood and Jordan Ferguson, "take out his retired o-line jersey" he said at the time.
Off the field, Cook continued the success he had weightlifting in high school, a discipline he picked up from his high school strength coach. An attacking mentality, looking to be consistent in his form, saw him skyrocket up the record boards strength coach Matt Hickman keeps on the side wall of the MTSU weight room.
There's just one weightlifting activity in his wheelhouse, the deadlift, that Cook isn't at the top of the leaderboard. That honor belongs to Jordan Ferguson, who has Cook beat by just a handful of pounds. Something that, in the near future, Cook hopes to have bested Ferguson in. Ja'Kerrius Wyatt is confident Cook can do just that.
"I don't care what weight you have on there; he's going to do it fast and multiple times," Wyatt said. "He can make a lot of weight look like nothing."
Back on the gridiron, Tommy West says that Cook is going to be a name to watch for long time at MTSU, particularly with how much potential the young lineman has. Cook earned his first sack of the season on Saturday against James Madison.
"I think he finally realizes that there's a lot more out there for him," West said. "He's got a really high ceiling, and he's about halfway to what he can be. He'll keep getting better and better and better."
For Cook's part, he just wants to continue to raise the bar for an experienced defensive line room that feeds off of each other's success.
"Like Coach West said, the standard's real high," Cook said. "Let's go above that standard, keep on going up."
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