Marks the spot: Jeff Marks finding role on Purdue's D-line
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Video: D-line coach Reggie Johnson
Jeff Marks was initially recruited for his versatility, a trait that's likely to find him a role on Purdue's defensive front this season.
In his highlight video from Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala., Marks can be seen in his team's odd-man front with his hand to the ground over the guard and center on one play, then standing up as a pass rusher over the tackle on the very next snap.
A disruptive force during his senior year of high school, Marks registered 38 tackles with seven sacks as a senior for a defense that allowed just 10.2 points per game in the state of Alabama's highest classification of football.
Then, he came to Purdue in January.
"(Spring) showed me that I have a lot to offer this program and even though I'm young, I really feel like I can bring some production to the field (as a freshman)," Marks said. "As long as I keep getting better, I think I could have a great role in (Purdue's pass rush)."
Nobody should be surprised if that's how Purdue defensive coordinator Nick Holt chooses to utilize the freshman as part of an inexperienced front seven looking for playmakers. In just his sixth preseason practice this month, Marks went from being double-teamed at a defensive tackle spot to making a tackle near the opposite sideline on a tailback off a screen pass. Those are the types of plays Purdue might expect from the freshman, maybe even early on in his college career.
"Obviously he's not there yet but he reminds me of (former Purdue defensive lineman) Gelen Robinson with some of the athletic qualities he has to him," Jeff Brohm said. "He might move inside as much as he plays on the outside and be a very good threat for us because of his athleticism."
On a defensive line where after a half dozen open practices, Purdue's coaches pointed to the true freshman as a player that could be an every-down option, albeit with different responsibilities from play to play. Marks has been seen most as a defensive tackle but has also seen reps in 11-on-11 drills at defensive end.
"I'm spinning (mentally) with it because I know it's taking time but I'm slowly learning it," Marks said. "There's a difference between the two but there's not a complete difference that there is a downfall so I'm getting there."
It would make sense that Marks is still learning basic technique because he didn't start playing organized football or having any interest in the game at all until his ninth grade year at Davidson High School.
While it normally takes first-year players a few months if not a full redshirt season to adjust to the physicality of line play at a Power Five school, Marks essentially got that out of the way when he enrolled early, making himself available for spring practices. Marks was one of three players from Brohm’s recruiting class to enroll for second-semester spring classes.The main difference in Marks' spring and summer development is physically he's now listed at 270 pounds instead of the 255 pounds he weighed when he arrived in January. That extra 15 pounds of mass was added, he says, without hampering his overall quickness and speed, maybe giving him an opportunity to be part of the solution to Purdue's pass rushing conundrum early in the 2018 season.
"He's just naturally strong. He's the one person on the team you get the opportunity to shake his hand, I would just pat him on the shoulder because it is a firm grip," Brohm said. "We've moved him inside and so from the mental aspect (right now) he doesn't have to learn or know as much."
At certain points Holt has to remind himself that Marks is still only freshman because his body type simply doesn't resemble what a Purdue first-year defensive lineman has looked like in previous years.
"Jeff is physical at 270 pounds, has a good get-off and just needs to keep learning technique and all that kind of stuff," Holt said. "But oh, we look a lot different now don't we? Which is good. We're getting to where we're supposed to look. (Marks) is getting better and better for us. Had a great summer. He's going to play for us."
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