Blackman football tight end Ben Marshall closing in on college choice
Ben Marshall looks like a prototypical tight end.
The Blackman senior is 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.
The fact that he has wide receiver speed and ball-catching ability makes him somewhat of a physical freak on the football field.
"He is a circus-catch kind of guy," Blackman senior quarterback Jack Risner said.
"You can throw it anywhere and he'll catch it," Blackman coach Chandler Tygard said. "He likes the one-handed catch… a little too much. It drives some of us a little crazy."
The combination of size and speed is why Marshall has built a recruiting resume that includes several Power-5 programs.
And it won't be long before he chooses one of those schools.
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"I'll be making my decision soon," Marshall said. "I'm satisfied with the offers I have. I feel like during the season more might come in, but I'm focused on making a decision on who I might play for."
Marshall, who is ranked by 247Sports Composite as a 3-star prospect (No. 57 tight end nationally and No. 39 overall in Tennessee), has numerous offers, including Power 5 schools Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Memphis, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Indiana, California and Washington State.
The offers started flooding in after last season, tallying 65 catches for 834 yards and seven TDs.
He has put on weight since last season and can build on that at the next level.
"They'll put weight on me," Marshall said. "I'll be bigger, stronger, faster."
Fittingly, his favorite NFL player is San Francisco All-Pro George Kittle, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league over the past several years.
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"The way he blocks and catches and makes big plays is awesome," Marshall said.
Even with highly recruited teammates Justin Brown and Jacob Page lining up at wide receiver for the Blaze, Blackman fans should expect to see a lot of that from Marshall this season.
"He's actually pretty fast," said Risner, who has developed a lot of trust with Marshall. "We love moving him all around. He can do anything."
One thing Marshall will add to his repertoire this season is playing defense, something he hasn't done in the past. He will play a hybrid linebacker/safety role.
"He can be as good as he wants to be (on defense), at 6-5, 220," Tygard said. "One thing is that we go so fast (on offense), and last year he had no backup. Having (Campbell Lee) to come in and back him up will help us play Ben on defense."
He's still most valuable to the Blaze on offense, however.
"Everywhere we go, he's the baddest dude," Tygard said. "At Hoover (during a 7-on-7 this summer) he was the baddest guy on the field. It's been that way since I've been here."
Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Blackman football TE Ben Marshall close to making college commitment
