Three years ago, he wasn’t even playing quarterback. He was a defensive back for the Georgia Bulldogs, with no time under center in sight.
Back in July 2013, he was just moving to Auburn, mere months after quarterbacking at Garden City Community College in Kansas. A month later, he was head coach Gus Malzahn’s first quarterback.
Still a little raw, with a habit of overthrowing receivers by ten-plus yards, he caused many to wonder early on if Malzahn had made the right call.
Sure, he was a great athlete, ran the ball well, but how would he perform in crunch time?
Time after time, he responded with a big play. Time after time, he answered the bell. Time after time, he came up huge.
Almost three years after being dismissed from Georgia’s football team, he is walking out of Auburn, Alabama as an SEC champion and one of the Tigers’ all-time greatest quarterbacks.
Nick Marshall has left quite a legacy.
I remember the first time I ever watched Nick Marshall play. It was against Washington State in his and Auburn’s first game of the 2013 season, and to be completely honest, I wasn’t too impressed.
Marshall’s numbers in that game were mediocre at best: 10/19 for 99 yards, nine carries for 27 yards. As if a sign of things to come, he missed his first three passes of the game, all aimed at different receivers.
It looked like this guy couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean. He’d somehow overthrow it. I thought Gus Malzahn had made the first coaching mistake of his life.
I couldn’t believe that the guy I was watching would be Auburn’s starting quarterback. And I certainly would have never believed that he would be hoisting the SEC championship trophy three months later.
At least, I wouldn’t have believed it based on his first outing. But as he did with every Auburn fan, he very rapidly won me over.
What sets Nick Marshall apart as a not only a quarterback, but as a football player, isn’t something that can be taught. It really can’t even be quantified.
It’s an intangible that precious few athletes possess, and it’s exactly the sought-after quality that separates the good from the great.
But in Marshall’s case, it can be summed up in two words: clutch playmaker.
Ever since he’s been in an Auburn uniform, Nick Marshall has always been a playmaker. Even when his accuracy and decision-making in the passing game were questionable, he was always a threat to break a big play.
He could do anything.
The strength of his arm has never been questioned. Many in the Auburn family have gawked in amazement as Nick Marshall would effortlessly sling the ball far downfield with a simple flick of his wrist.
He is hands down the most elusive runner Auburn has ever had at quarterback. With quick feet, and great vision and balance, Marshall can leave any defender spinning in circles.
And once he breaks into the open field, his 4.4 speed does the rest.
He's definitely one of the five best quarterbacks Auburn has ever had, arguably the third best (behind Cam Newton and Pat Sullivan).
Because he never won any major awards on the national level, however, he will likely not be remembered by many as such. And that's a sad thought.
In his two seasons, Marshall directed offenses that averaged 501.3 yards and 39.5 points per game in 2013, and 485 yards and 35.5 points this past season. Last year, Auburn led the SEC and the nation in rushing offense (328.3 yards per game), while finishing a close second in the conference this year (255.5 yards per game).
Marshall's numbers weren't so bad, either. Through 27 games, Marshall amassed 4508 passing yards and 1866 rushing yards. He threw 34 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions, while rushing for 23 more.
With the ball in his hands, he was as dangerous a player as anyone.
He has had a wonderful (albeit rather short) career, but it's filled with some of the greatest, most memorable Auburn moments I've been privileged to witness.
September 2013, Auburn trails by three at home against Mississippi State with less than two minutes to go. So what does Nick Marshall do? He only goes six of eight throwing on a flawless two-minute drill, capped off by an even more perfect touchdown pass to CJ Uzomah in the back corner of the end zone for the win.
Oh, and that was his third game.
It's also the game in which he actually (and statistically) threw a pass to himself.
September 2014, Auburn is on the road against ranked Kansas State, in a completely unknown environment. After throwing a beautiful fade route to Duke Williams for the lead earlier that quarter, Nick Marshall does he does.
Facing a long third down in its own territory with less than two minutes to go, Auburn has a choice to make. Go for the conversion, or play it safe and give the ball back to Kansas State with a little bit of time to work.
Auburn goes for it. And Nick Marshall makes it pay off.
He throws a flawless pass over the middle, just out of the reach of a defender, but right into the outstretched arms of Duke Williams for a 39-yard gain into Kansas State territory.
From there, Auburn kneels the ball three times. Game over.
November 2013, Auburn trails Georgia 38-37 at home with just 36 seconds left on the clock. The Tigers have just blown a 20-point, fourth quarter lead, and after throwing two incompletions and taking a sack on the current drive, Nick Marshall now faces fourth down and 18 at his own 27-yard line.
Logic would dictate that the game is over. But Nick Marshall never believes it.
After dropping back, then stepping up to avoid the pressure, Marshall effortlessly heaves a literal prayer downfield toward a streaking Ricardo Louis and two Georgia defenders.
Inexplicably, the ball bounces off the two defenders right into Louis’s outstretched arms, and he strolls into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.
To this day, it’s the only thing I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes that I would call a miracle.
Later that same November (two weeks later, in fact), Auburn is going toe-to-toe with top-ranked Alabama. After trading blows the entire game, Auburn finds itself down 28-21 with 2:41 left.
The Tigers stick to what they’re best at, running the ball with Tre Mason six times in a row, all the way down to the Alabama 39-yard line. Everyone thinks Auburn will hand the ball off to Mason again.
But this time, Marshall keeps it.
After running out to his left and drawing two Alabama defenders toward him, right at the line of scrimmage, he lofts a pass softly over their heads to a wide open Sammie Coates, who waltzes into the end zone untouched.
To this day, I have no idea if Marshall had an intention of throwing the ball when it was snapped, but no matter what, it is the ultimate testament to his improvisational prowess and calm nature.
The 2013 Iron Bowl is remembered because of the Kick Six, as it should be. But Marshall’s touchdown to Coates mere minutes before made college football’s most remarkable play possible in the first place.
Just as he has his entire Auburn career, Nick Marshall put his team in position to win.
Marshall was more than just a spectacular playmaker. He was the catalyst that sparked Auburn's resurgence.
Yes, Gus Malzahn has played as big a part in Auburn's return to relevancy as anyone, but a coach's offense is only as good as his quarterback.
And led by Nick Marshall, Auburn's offense was spectacular.
He was always calm, cool, and collected. He never wavered, never doubted himself. No moment was ever too big for Nick Marshall.
Auburn will certainly miss him, probably more than most people realize.
Ever since the bitter end to Auburn’s 2014 campaign, all eyes have been on rising junior Jeremy Johnson, who seems primed and ready to take the reins at quarterback next season.
And while he certainly a great talent, the Auburn family should not be so quick to forget about Marshall.
Remember that he won 20 games in two seasons. Remember that he has faced two Heisman quarterbacks, and outdueled one while coming up 13 seconds short against the other.
Remember that when the game was on the line, there was no one better equipped to make the play Auburn needed than Nick Marshall.
And he always made the play his team needed.
After all, he’ll always be the Auburn quarterback who threw a pass to himself.
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