Nicholas Deshawn Marshall Sr. (born June 30, 1992) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), following the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and was the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

' starter from 2013 to 2014. He also played for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

Early years

Marshall was born in Pineview, Georgia, the son of Phillip Marshall and Shalena Cliett, and attended high school at Wilcox County High School in

Rochelle, Georgia Rochelle is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,167. History The community was named after La Rochelle, in France. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Rochelle as a town in 1888. Geog ...

. He was a three-sport star in basketball, football and track. He was named the boys basketball AP Class A player of the year twice. In

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, he led Wilcox County to the Class A championship as a junior, while passing for 2,956 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was named the Class A Offensive Player of the Year as well as a part of the PrepStar All-American team, SuperPrep All-Dixie team, and

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

"Super 11" team. As a freshman, he joined the school's

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

team, and with only two weeks of training, he qualified for the state finals in the high jump by leaping 1.78 meters (5-10) at the Region 2A Boys Meet. At the Georgia Class A State Meet, he finished fifth in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

, recording a career-best leap of 1.93 meters (6-4). After that meet, he never competed in track again. Marshall decided on going to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

for college because he was offered the opportunity to play both basketball and football.

College career

Marshall began his college career in 2011 as a

for the

. Marshall and two teammates were dismissed from the team for an unspecified "violation of team rules."Nick Marshall’s long and winding road – UGA dismissal a turning point for former Wilcox star
Macon.com. November 11, 2013. Marshall transferred to

Garden City Community College Garden City Community College (Garden City CC or GCCC) is a public community college in Garden City, Kansas. It was established in 1919 to provide a means for post-secondary education for area residents. The school initially shared facilities i ...

where he was the starting

in 2012 and led the team to a 7–4 record while scoring 37 touchdowns (19 rushing, 18 passing), passing for 3,142 yards, and becoming the team’s leading rusher with 1,095 yards. After one season with Garden City Community College, Marshall then transferred to

with the hope of playing quarterback.

Starting quarterback for Auburn

In August 2013, Marshall was named starting quarterback for Auburn. This came after a heated four-man race for the position in head coach

Gus Malzahn Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF Knights football, UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 t ...

's newly installed offense which saw

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

starting quarterback

Kiehl Frazier Kiehl Frazier (kaɪl) (born October 2, 1992) is a former American football quarterback and safety. He attended Ouachita Baptist University in 2014, having attended Auburn University the previous three years. Frazier played backup to returning ...

transfer to

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

on the defensive side of the ball. Marshall was instrumental in Auburn's turnaround from a 3–9 season in 2012 to beginning the 2013 season 9–1 while beating the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

, then ranked #24 in the AP Poll and #6

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...

. On November 16, 2013, Marshall was the quarterback behind a play known as "

The Prayer at Jordan-Hare The Prayer at Jordan-Hare was a game-winning Hail Mary pass thrown during a college football game between the 2013 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn Tigers and 2013 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia Bulldogs, played on November 16, 2013, ...

" when he threw a 73-yard

Hail Mary The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis on a 4th-and-18 with 36 seconds left to defeat the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

. On November 30, 2013, Marshall threw the game-tying touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining in the epic

2013 Iron Bowl The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th Iron Bowl college football game played on November 30, 2013 at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The game featured the No. 1-ranked and two-time defending nationa ...

to even the score 28–28. Auburn won the game on a 109-yard touchdown return from an

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

missed field goal. The team later went on to win the

SEC Championship The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regula ...

, and earned a berth in the

2014 BCS National Championship Game The 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship Game was the national championship game of the 2013 college football season, which took place on Monday, January 6, 2014. The game featured the Auburn Tigers and Florida State Seminoles. It was the 16t ...

and lost. After his time at Auburn, he decided to enter the 2015 NFL Draft.

Statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Although he was invited to the

2015 Senior Bowl The 2015 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season as well as prospects for the 2015 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game conclud ...

as a quarterback, Marshall announced during the week that he would move to cornerback in his attempt for an NFL career.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Marshall was signed by the

as a free-agent after going undrafted in the

He played primarily on special teams including returning kickoffs for most of the season but saw his role on defense increase the last four weeks of the season. He started his first NFL game Week 17 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Jaguars. He was signed to the Jaguars' practice squad the next day.

New York Jets

On October 12, 2016, Marshall was signed by the Jets off of the Jaguars' practice squad. On April 14, 2017, Marshall was suspended four games for testing positive on performance-enhancing drugs. Marshall was waived by the Jets on May 4, 2017.

Arizona Rattlers

On November 2, 2017, Marshall was signed to the

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams amon ...

, alongside his brother, defensive back Antonio Marshall. However, both brothers departed the team before the 2018 season began, with Nick signing in the CFL.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

In April 2018, Marshall signed with the

of the

(CFL). After the preseason, Marshall was named a starter at

for the 2018 season. In Week 1 against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

, Marshall recorded an interception for a touchdown for the game-winning points in the 27–19 victory, but was subsequently placed on the six-game injured list following a broken finger. Marshall recorded another 'pick-six' in addition to a rushing touchdown in the Riders Week 10 win over the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

. Marshall has subsequently been used as a situational rusher on short yardage and goal-line plays, recording 18 rushes for 48 yards and 7 touchdowns. In 13 games, Marshall finished the regular season with 26 tackles, 3 interceptions (two of which were returned for scores), and one forced fumble. The 2019 Roughriders finished in first place for the West Division, and under new head coach

Craig Dickenson Craig Dickenson (born September 4, 1971) is the head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has coached professional football since 2000 and won a Grey Cup championship with the Calgary Stampeders in 2008 ...

, Marshall relinquished rushing duties, resulting in an improved year as a defensive back; in 17 games played, Marshall recorded 39 tackles and five interceptions, one of which was taken back for a score. Marshall signed a one-year contract extension with the Roughriders on December 22, 2020.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Nick 1992 births Living people Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football quarterbacks American football cornerbacks Canadian football defensive backs American players of Canadian football Georgia Bulldogs football players Garden City Broncbusters football players Auburn Tigers football players Jacksonville Jaguars players New York Jets players People from Wilcox County, Georgia Arizona Rattlers players Saskatchewan Roughriders players