Texas Tech received a huge boost to 2018 recruiting on Wednesday morning as Grand Prairie (TX) mammoth offensive lineman Demarcus Marshall announced his commitment to the Red Raiders.
Adding Marshall to the 2018 class is big for two reasons: Marshall himself is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds, and he is Tech’s highest rated commit so far checking in as a 5.8 four-star prospect and the No. 46 player in the state of Texas.
Marshall recently told RedRaiderSports that he wanted to take things slow and might wait all the way till Signing Day to announce his decision; however, following a recent trip to Lubbock and with OL spots quickly filling up, Marshall didn’t want to wait any longer.
“I changed my mind because it is a big gamble to wait. If I would have waited longer, who knows if I would have had a spot left. Coach Jones kept telling me that they have very few spots left open, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘I gotta have this last spot because Tech is the best school that I could quite possibly be at.’”
Wanting to lock up a spot at a big-time Power-5 program was obviously a big reason for Marshall’s early commitment; however, Marshall pulling the trigger early wasn’t just to “save a spot” but instead he loved everything about Texas Tech and knew immediately this was where he wanted to be.
“Tech is still in Texas, and I am a momma’s boy. My mom has always been my biggest fan and supporter since peewee coming up through high school. If I would have gone out of state, she wouldn’t have been able to make it to any of the games.
“Lubbock being close to home was obviously a plus, but Tech’s academic program was the best thing there at Tech. It was amazing how the school is, how it works, how the tutors are. They are trying to help you graduate. They want you to get that degree. A degree is powerful, that piece of paper is powerful, and the academic center out there was amazing.
“The coaching staff was great, the whole area is amazing. When I first arrived there and got out of the car, I was like this feels like a great opportunity to be there.”
Like most prospects who visit Lubbock for the first time, Marshall was blown away by his visit to Lubbock last weekend.
“Everybody says it is a dead town and there is nothing to do out there and that’s honestly what I was kind of expecting. When we were driving there, I was a little nervous, but when we got there, my eyes just got real big and I was like wow. They have a city out here, and it is amazing. It was so amazing out there. Then when we got to the field house with the helmets, the equipment, the locker room, the photoshoot, everybody treating me like the number one guy, it was just amazing.”
What also stood out to Marshall was the obvious emphasis that Tech was putting on improving their facilities.
“The indoor facility is amazing. We weren’t able to go into it yet, but it was huge. It matches the campus because the campus was huge, too. We had to tour the campus in a truck basically because it is so big.”
“The locker rooms? Oh my gosh, man. As soon as I walked in and saw the big Double T on the ceiling (laughs) I was like wow. It was awesome.”
From the feel of the town, to the academics, everything about Tech clicked with the on-field aspect also playing a big factor. Marshall has full trust in Tech and his future coaches to help him accomplish his goals.
“Texas Tech is in the best conference. We are going up against Texas, we are going up against TCU, we are going up against Baylor. We are going up against all these good teams. I trust this coaching staff, and I am putting all my trust into this coaching staff and this college to get me to the next level. Getting to the next level is my dream and it is what I want to accomplish. I’m trusting Texas Tech to bring me there.”
As mentioned, Marshall’s four-star status makes him the highest rated player in the 2018 class and one of the highest rated offensive linemen Tech has signed in the past few seasons. As a four-star player committing to the Red Raiders, what’s Marshall’s message to Tech fans?
Believe the hype…
“What I would say to Tech fans is that they need to get their hopes up real high. They can have high expectations for me because I’m not going to let them down. As soon as I hit that field, we will be scoring some points. When I get a chance to hit the field, I’m going to try in all areas to make the best out of Texas Tech and the best out of me. The fans will love me.”
The OL prospect is also in the process of knocking out some credits so he can graduate early and enroll at Texas Tech.
“I’m trying to graduate early. Getting there early would obviously give me a leg up on the competition, but honestly, I’m just trying to get back to Lubbock and be there for good as soon as possible. I wish I could be there tomorrow.”
Marshall earned first team All-District honors this past season and was a second team All-District selection as a freshman and sophomore as well.
