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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

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of the

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(NFL), following the

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. He played

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at Auburn as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and was the Tigers' 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and

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 19 ...

Early life

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. 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

, 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'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

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

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

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 The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

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 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 Auburn 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's newly installed offense which saw

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starting quarterback Kiehl Frazier transfer to

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

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

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, then ranked #24 in the AP Poll and #7 Texas A&M Aggies. On November 16, 2013, Marshall was the quarterback behind a play known as " The Prayer at Jordan-Hare" when he threw a 73-yard

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

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. On November 30, 2013, Marshall threw the game-tying touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining in the epic 2013 Iron Bowl to even the score 28–28. Auburn won the game on a 109-yard touchdown return from an

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

missed field goal. The team later went on to win the SEC Championship, and earned a berth in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game and lost. He was later named a

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

semifinalist and received the Pat Sullivan Award. Marshall was a

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

candidate and finished 14th in voting. 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 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

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. 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 of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

, 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

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(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 based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

, 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 (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

. 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, 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. Marshall was released by the Roughriders on November 13, 2023 after Marshall was arrested for a firearm possession charge in his home state of Georgia on November 8, 2023.

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 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 Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state)