Sept. 9, 2011
Go ahead and call Javon Marshall an underdog. You won’t insult him, I promise. Instead, he’ll probably grin from ear to ear and nod his head in agreement.
You see, Javon Marshall is used to being called the underdog. It’s a role he’s taken on since his sophomore year in high school when his coach sat him down and told him that he was too small to play varsity.
Marshall watched all of his friends move up to varsity, while he was relegated to junior varsity. He was crushed, embarrassed and mad. What Marshall would do after that conversation proved to be a pivotal point in not only the player he is but also the person he is today.
“My father told me, `you can either let that man tell what you can’t do or you can work hard and prove him wrong,'” Marshall said. “Since that day, I’ve always had that drive in me.”
The next year Marshall worked as hard as he had ever worked and it paid dividends. He went out and made the varsity roster and eventually moved into the starting lineup at safety and earned All-Southwest Ohio honors as a senior.
After arriving at Vanderbilt, Marshall found himself in a similar situation that he had experienced in high school. Listed at 5-foot-10, 196 lbs., Marshall was deemed as being too small to play safety and was moved to cornerback.
He redshirted his first year on campus and saw action in eight games as a reserve in 2010. His most notable game came against Florida when he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and forced a fumble. He saw signs of progress, but he still felt he could make a better contribution at safety.
With the hiring of a new coaching staff during the offseason, Marshall again had an opportunity to prove himself at safety and he seized it.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Marshall emerged out of preseason camp and claimed the starting free safety spot opposite of Sean Richardson. Marshall earned the starting nod in week one over Kenny Ladler – last season’s starter.
“Just like in high school, some people might have told me I was too small (to play safety),” Marshall said. “I don’t listen to that and I just put my head down and work hard.”
Work hard he has. Marshall has developed a reputation as one of the team’s hardest workers by the shear number of hours he has put in.
“I saw how guys like Myron (Lewis) worked,” Marshall noted. “The best were always the first in and last to leave whether it was in the weight room or in the film room. I pride myself on hard work and that is how I kind of see myself.”
Marshall’s work ethic is something that has not been lost on his teammates.
“He’s a hard worker and coach has said he is one of the hardest workers he has ever coached, and that says a lot,” senior safety Sean Richardson said. “He is a great player and a very intelligent player.”
Marshall has no plans on slowing down now that he has earned the starting job. He is playing a larger role on the defense which he appreciates, but it is not enough to forget about the past.
“I feel like I always play with a chip on my shoulder … a big chip,” Marshall said. “At the same time it is about the team first and I am just out there to make plays when my name is called.”
Now at safety, Marshall feels right at home. Although he is working with Richardson for the first time at the position, the chemistry between the two has come naturally through a bond that had already been cultivated among members of the secondary.
“We are comfortable playing together,” Richardson said. “We have so much depth that everyone is used to playing with each other. We all just bond and know that we are going to have to have each other’s backs, so we come out and practice hard and rely on each other.”
Led by Richardson and cornerback Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt’s secondary is viewed as one of the strongest facets of the team. The group is filled with experienced players who have cut their teeth by playing key snaps against SEC competition.
Of the players in the secondary currently listed on Vanderbilt’s two-deep, no player played fewer snaps last year than Marshall. But he is okay with that because once again, he is where he wants to be and feels more comfortable – as the underdog.
“I don’t mind calling myself the underdog,” said Marshall. “I’ve always been one from high school until now. I like that role.”
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