Nick was almost in the color purple.

[Saniflush]

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2014/09/nick_marshall_bill_snyder_set.html

AUBURN, Alabama -- Before Jake Waters, there was Nick Marshall.

If Auburn assistants Rhett Lashlee and Dameyune Craig hadn't locked up the Tigers' starting quarterback on an in-home visit a month before signing day, Marshall might be leading Kansas State into Thursday night's top 20 showdown at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

That's how close Marshall came to wearing purple and silver.

"It seemed like it," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "That was the indication, that we were close."

Before that in-home visit, the Wildcats were in prime position to land Marshall, who had transferred from Georgia to Garden City Community College following an off-the-field incident in the spring of 2012.

Kansas State, only four hours from Garden City, seemed like the perfect fit, a team with an opening at quarterback after the loss of Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein and a history of using junior college transfers.

There was pressure, of course, inside the state of Kansas for Marshall to pick Kansas State. Matt Miller played quarterback for Snyder and later coached for the legend at Kansas State. As Garden City's offensive coordinator in 2012, he clued Snyder in on Marshall, who compared to Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson -- the two best quarterbacks in Kansas State history.

One wild card remained, the early groundwork laid by then-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn at Auburn several years before.

Malzahn was already aware of Marshall's on-the-field success at quarterback. After all, he had seen film of Marshall during his high school days in 2010 and 2011. Marshall shattered passing records in the state of Georgia, where the former Wilcox County star still holds the state record for the most passing touchdowns in a career (103).

"Coach Malzahn was the first one to ever offer a scholarship to Nick," said Miller, who is now GCCC's head coach. "And that was even before he played a snap at quarterback in college."
Nick Marshall Garden CityNick Marshall fires a 62-yard pass to Rodriguez Coleman, who caught the tipped pass to set up a game-winning field goal against Copiah-Lincoln on Dec. 2, 2012 at the Mississippi Bowl. (Courtesy Mississippi Bowl)
 

Marshall had played cornerback as a freshman at Georgia, but his dismissal opened the door for other suitors after he landed at Garden City in the spring of 2012.

Only a few months into his first head coaching job at Arkansas State, Malzahn saw an opportunity to potentially land a diamond in the rough looking for a second chance.

"You knew he was a very, very good quarterback in high school," Malzahn said. "That was one thing, and he fits into what we look for in a quarterback."

Malzahn thought he had a small shot at landing Marshall at Arkansas State, where he was looking replace senior quarterback Ryan Aplin in 2013 and beyond.

Then the season began.

"Then he started getting the offers from all the Kansas States and the Texases and all those people offered him," Lashlee, now Auburn's offensive coordinator, said before tossing in a joke. "We were out of luck at Arkansas State, so we had to change locations."

Gene Chizik was fired as Auburn's coach on Nov. 25, 2012. Nine days later, Malzahn was hired away from Arkansas State to return to the Plains.

And he needed a quarterback.

Suddenly, Auburn seemed like a viable option for Marshall. It was a big-time program with a familiar coach, and the three-hour drive home to Rochelle, Ga., was enticing.

The door opened wide for Auburn when Kansas State secured Waters' commitment on Dec. 11. The former Iowa Western Community College star broke Cam Newton's junior college record for completion percentage (73.3), and he appeared to be the Wildcats' heir apparent at quarterback.

Kansas State, however, didn't stop pursuing Marshall.

"They didn't pull of him at all, and they still considered him their top recruit," Miller said. "That didn't slow them down one bit."

Snyder wrote Marshall letters and visited Marshall's family in Rochelle. He followed up that visit with a handwritten letter to Marshall's grandmother, Earlene Mahoganey.

"I really took to that letter," Mahoganey said. "That's why I guess I kept it."

An in-home visit from Lashlee and Craig on Jan. 13, 2013, made the difference.

After the pair made their pitch, Marshall told the two coaches he'd make his decision after visiting Kansas State. Craig knew better. He'd recruited Marshall at Florida State, and there he'd lost Marshall to Georgia after letting the prospect get away for a visit.

Craig convinced Lashlee to stay longer.

Marshall wrestled with the decision in his bedroom after Auburn's coaches finally left. He asked his grandmother which school she preferred.

She liked Auburn, Malzahn and the short travel time to the Plains, but she kept those thoughts to herself. Finally, after he kept asking questions, Marshall managed to persuade Mahoganey to reveal at least one "letter" in the team name she liked best. She gave him an "A."

"That's who I said, too," Marshall responded.

Mahoganey had been trying to leave the door open for Kansas State. She wanted her grandson to make his own decision.

But Marshall took the "A" to mean Auburn. In the end, the family's pick lined up with Marshall's gut feeling.

After months of pitching Marshall to Snyder, Miller watched his quarterback choose Auburn instead. A year later, Marshall led the Tigers to an SEC championship and a runner-up finish in the BCS National Championship.
Auburn vs. Georgia: Game DayAuburn coach Gus Malzahn congratulates quarterback Nick Marshall (14) after the Tigers' 43-38 victory against Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
 

Miller said he never forced Marshall to make a decision one way or the other in junior college.

"I'm sure I wasn't (Snyder's) favorite person in the world," Miller laughed.

On Thursday, Marshall will lead No. 5 Auburn into a showdown with No. 20 Kansas State. A raucous crowd is expected for the Wildcats' highest-ranked non-conference opponent in 45 years.

Marshall expects to see some familiar and friendly faces.

"Nick has been talking about this game for so long," Auburn cornerback Trovon Reed said. "He's always saying 'I almost went there, I almost went there.' He's going to prepare like Nick prepares: locked in, lead the team. We're going to go down there ready to play some Auburn football."

Still, Snyder left an impression. It's not often a college football coach keeps in touch with heartfelt letters written with their own pen -- especially a recruit's family member. Snyder offered Marshall a structured system at Kansas State and protection from outside distractions. Marshall's family fell in love with the 74-year-old coach.

"They're very, very nice people and I thought Nick had a great deal of respect for them," Snyder said. "I appreciated that a great deal. Notes are notes. That's just what I do. It's not anything special. I like to recognize people when people do good things and I appreciated them having me in their home. I just wanted to let them know how much I appreciated them."

Mahoganey and Marshall's mother, Shalena Cliett, said in July they plan to call Snyder to thank him for his attentiveness and kindness during the recruiting process. Cliett planned to convey one message in jest: take it easy on her son when the teams meet on the field.

Either Marshall or Snyder can get the last laugh Thursday night in what could be a season-defining game for Auburn and Kansas State.

Still, it's easy for the mind to wander in games like this. What would life be like at Kansas State if Marshall and Waters had both picked Kansas State?

Snyder chuckles.

"I've tried not to think about that."

[djsimp]

I didn't know KSU was in to recruiting thugs.

[Saniflush]

I didn't know KSU was in to recruiting thugs.

Well he wasn't one until we got a hold of him. duh!