« on: June 19, 2008, 01:28:19 PM »
Take note of the highlighted part. I had forgotten about this. just reaffirms that if it ain't a grillz rating, it ain't shit!
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/SPORTS/806180352Maturing Auburn defensive lineman earns high 'Marks'
By Jay G. Tate • June 18, 2008
AUBURN -- Sen'Derrick Marks' junior season doesn't begin for another 10 weeks.
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That hasn't stopped him from feeling like a veteran.
The Auburn defensive tackle found himself in an unusual position last week while talking with newcomer Jomarcus Savage. The freshman began asking Marks for advice about how to mitigate first-year pressures, which initially seemed odd to Marks.
"I'm thinking to myself: 'Jomarcus should be asking the older guys about stuff like this,'" said Marks, who turned 21 in February. "Then I started thinking about it and I pretty much am the old guy now. I spent so long looking up to certain guys and now they're gone. I have to be one of those guys now to the freshmen. I guess they have to look up to me."
Then Marks laughed.
"That's funny right there," he said.
Marks has experienced easier transitions. An outstanding freshman season at defensive tackle seemed to assure a long career in the middle.
Staffing shortages on the outside prompted a move to end before the 2007 season began, which Marks attacked with enthusiasm. His consistent play on the strong side allowed weak-side ends Quentin Groves and Antonio Coleman to emerge as breakout performers last year.
Just as the Mobile native began feeling comfortable at end, junior tackle Pat Sims left for the NFL.
Now Marks is back in the middle.
Though Marks received only sparse praise for his work in 2007 -- his 43 tackles represented the team's fifth-best tally -- he received a surprising April affirmation. ESPN analyst Todd McShay released a mock 2009 NFL draft a day after the 2008 draft concluded.
He listed Marks as nation's No. 5 professional prospect.
Marks said he was shocked.
Coach Tommy Tuberville wasn't.
"Sen'Derrick has to be one of the most versatile linemen in the country," Tuberville said. "He's a guy who can really excel outside or inside. He's played both for a full season and made a huge difference for a full season at each (position). He's obviously very talented, but what makes him special is that he stays hungry. He doesn't walk out there thinking he's the best guy on the field."
He never had reason.
Marks played both football and basketball during his high-school days at Vigor High. He rarely dominated on the gridiron, though, and many college programs didn't anticipate greatness. Auburn and Southern Miss were the only schools offering scholarships during his senior season.
The Tigers signed 22 players in 2005.
Rivals.com considered 19 of them three-, four- or five-star prospects. Marks wasn't.
"I wasn't sold on going to college. I wasn't trying to pursue it like a lot of people were," Marks said. "Not being highly recruited? That didn't really matter. That wasn't my mindset. It's not about five-star or four-star (rankings) or how highly are you recruited. Just play the game. If you know the game, you know the game."
Marks has become almost everything the Tigers wanted.
Now coaches are imploring the junior to become a leader on a team still searching for a unifying personality. Marks' affable nature and peacekeeping skills make him an ideal candidate -- he brokered the first chat between Coleman and offensive lineman Lee Ziemba after their spring-scrimmage incident -- yet he's struggling to understand the disciplinary element of that role.
Being old enough to counsel freshmen doesn't mean seniors will listen.
"It's not my type of personality to get on guys and fuss at them. I just try to lead by example. That's just the way I was brought up," said Marks, the oldest of eight children. "I'm not the boss. I'm not the supervisor. I'm not any of that. I'm just a guy playing on their level. I just try to do what I'm supposed to do, throw a few words in there and hopefully they'll follow."
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