JALIN MARSHALL STATISTICS
Middletown High School
Rushing
Year, Yards, Touchdowns
2010, 1,405, 17
2011, 1,441, 17
2012, 1,421, 14
Passing
2010, 659, 12
2011, 765, 11
2012, 640, 4
Ohio State
Rushing
Year, Yards, Touchdowns
2014, 145, 1
2015, 30, 0
Receiving
2014, 38, 499, 6
2015, 36, 477, 5
Punt Returns
2014, 283, 1
2015, 379, 0
SOURCE: Greater Miami Conference and Ohio State
MIDDIES IN THE NFL
Jalin Marshall will try to be the ninth Middletown High School graduate to play in the NFL. Here are the other players, the years they played in the NFL and the teams:
Todd Bell, 1981-89, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Blake, 1949, N.Y. Bulldogs
Carlos Brooks, 1995, Cardinals
Cris Carter, 1987-2002, Eagles, Vikings and Dolphins
Jeff Cothran, 1994-96, Bengals
Sonny Gordon, 1987, Buccaneers
John Holland, 1974-77, Vikings, Bills
Darrell Hunter, 2006-09, Colts, Buccaneers, Saints and Cardinals
SOURCE: Middletown High School and NFL
If Jalin Marshall was studying law at Ohio State University, and felt he was ready to enter the professional world without his degree, no one outside his family would have said a word.
But since Marshall, a 2013 Middletown High School graduate, decided to forgo the final two years of his eligibility on the OSU football team, the entire Buckeye Nation questioned the move.
After Marshall, a red-shirt sophomore, posted on his Twitter account last week that he was leaving college early and entering this April’s NFL draft, that post was retweeted 1,358 times and shared 2,614 times. For those old enough to remember Woody Hayes, those numbers mean Buckeyes fans are passionate about Marshall, and they aren’t afraid to voice their opinions.
There was a wide mix of reactions, ranging from total outrage to those congratulating him on his college career and wishing him luck in the NFL. It was split about 50/50.
Here are some of the negative tweets:
“LOL. Good luck making the league minimum.”
“Good. Take your poor decision making and fumbles somewhere else.”
“Bro, you would have been our number one weapon next year. Why would you leave before your draft stock goes up?”
And then there was this one:
“There is almost no chance Jalin Marshall ever cashes a professional check in the NFL.”
If that wasn’t enough, the person added: “He’s short and terrible.”
At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds with vertical speed, Marshall should be a great return specialist and fit in as a reliable slot receiver on a team with an established aerial attack.
There were congratulatory comments too.
“Thanks for all of your contributions to OSU and best of luck.”
“It’s been a great honor for me to watch you play in high school for the Middies and in college for the Buckeyes.”
Former OSU quarterback and ESPN announcer Kirk Herbstreit tweeted: “Think he’ll be a super star in the @NFL. Wish he would have stayed, but I get it.”
Last week, Marshall, whose numbers fell off this season after quarterback Braxton Miller converted to receiver, became the ninth Buckeye to announce he was leaving college early for the NFL, and that doesn’t include the eight senior starters who exhausted their eligibility. The nine underclassmen left 12 seasons of eligibility on the table. The Buckeyes appeared primed for another national championship run.
Then there was an exodus.
“This was over the top,” OSU Coach Urban Meyer said last week at a press conference.
After his sophomore season, when Marshall caught 36 passes for 477 yards and five touchdowns, few OSU fans thought he’d leave early. They believe Marshall has the talent to play in the NFL, but they thought he should have stayed in college for at least one more year.
Marshall, who has returned to Middletown, was unavailable to comment for this article, but on his Twitter account, he posted, in part: “Thank God for giving me the ability to play football at this great university…I will be forever grateful to my teammates and buckeye nation for making my time as a buckeye so memorable…I will always be a buckeye at heart as this was my dream, and I will work hard to positively represent Buckeye Nation and my hometown wherever I go.”
Richard Marshall, Jalin’s father, said playing in the NFL was one of his son’s dreams since he played Pee Wee football in Middletown. Before Jalin made the decision, he talked with Meyer, his wide receiver coach and his family.
“He made the best informed decision he could,” his father said.
He could have returned to OSU and suffered a career-ending injury, or played another season and raised his draft stock.
“You just never know what may happen,” his father said.
Whatever happens, football won’t be there forever for Marshall. Or any player.
As his father likes to say: “The ball will go flat.”
What does Richard Marshall wish for his son? The same as a lot of fathers.
“Become a productive citizen…find happiness within himself. Just be a good person, a good son, a great uncle. Make his mother and father proud.”
Before this season started, Marshall and three other players, including junior Joey Bosa, were suspended for the Buckeyes’ season opener against Virginia Tech for violating team rules. Marshall apparently was caught smoking marijuana.
“He bumped his head a few times,” his father said of Jalin’s action.”These are 17, 18 and 19 year olds.”
Teens under a microscope that comes with playing sports at a major college. Richard Marshall said he’s “very proud” of the way his son handled the accolades and the adversity. He signed autographs, posed for pictures, regardless of his performance.
“He’s making the right decisions moving forward,” his father said.
Marshall, who won’t turn 21 until July, has returned to Middletown and is preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 23-29 in Indianapolis. His father, not a big NFL fan, doesn’t care what team drafts his son. He just wants him to make a roster, be given a chance to fulfill a dream.
“It’s not easy,” his father said.
Don “Woody” Withrow, who followed Marshall’s career at MHS and OSU, believes he has the athletic ability to “surprise people” in the NFL. He said Marshall could be drafted anywhere between the fifth to seventh rounds when the draft starts April 28 in Chicago, then admitted: “I don’t have a clue.”
Then Withrow added: “Most people think he’s making a mistake. I hope he proves them wrong.”
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