Marshall expected to make instant impact at UF: 'He's the total package.'
Each recruiting cycle, nearly two-dozen prospects are labeled as five-star prospects and considered strong candidates to make a splash as soon as they relocate to their respective campuses.
However, there are a flurry of additional prospects who fall just short of that coveted fifth star but are more game ready than some of the players ranked ahead of them. Jason Marshall, the third-ranked cornerback in the 2021 class, is one prospect who certainly falls under that group.
A product of Miami Palmetto High, Marshall is already equipped with a college-ready frame and possesses the traits of a program's No. 1 option at cornerback. Nearly 30 schools served up scholarship offers during the recruiting process, including Alabama, Miami, Clemson, Georgia and Oklahoma, but it was the University of Florida that received the nod back in early August.
"He's the best cornerback in the country," said Mike Manasco, Palmetto's head coach, when speaking with Rivals' CaneSport. "He's the total package, is 6-2, 190 pounds, can fly. He's got the ability to do what every team really wants - a man-to-man, boundary corner guy who can basically shut down the boundary on the No. 1 receiver."
Manasco says he expects his star pupil to start at cornerback from day one. Fellow South Florida native, Kaiir Elam, just earned All-SEC honors as a sophomore, but it's difficult to find much consistency when scanning the rest of the depth chart at cornerback.
It's also worth noting that Chester Kimbrough entered the transfer portal earlier this week, so for Marshall, there is no doubt he has the opportunity to make a statement in 2021.
"And he would have started on day one at Alabama too," said Manasco. "To be honest, there's probably not a program that he's not a day one starter."
Regardless of the success he has with Dan Mullen's program, Marshall isn't the type of kid to get all caught up in the headlines. This is a team-first type of kid who is a sponge to coaching and simply lets his play speak for itself.
"He's a very quiet, reserved kid," said Manasco. "Very coachable, loves football, loves being around the guys. Just a very, very nice young man. Very humble, very mature for his age."
The comparison Manasco makes here?
He points to former and current college stars like Patrick Peterson, Patrick Surtain Jr. and C.J Henderson.
"Those are all good comparisons. You're talking about elite with where Jason Marshall is headed," said Manasco. "Jason is the total package because Jason can flip over and play offense, can return kicks, so you have to compare him to dynamic guys."
Marshall, the 47th-ranked player overall, put pen to paper during the early signing period and will be an early enrollee with the Gators as well.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.