Marks should stay at Auburn

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, December 09, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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When you're a 6-foot-1, 288-pound junior defensive tackle starting in the SEC and the possibility of moving to the NFL shows itself, you have to take a look. That's the case for Auburn’s Sen’Derrick Marks.

"I can't go by without looking at it," Marks said while Tommy Tuberville was still head coach of the club. "But it's the same way it was at the beginning of the season. I put all my trust into what coach Tubs and coach (Don) Dunn tell me. They'll let me know if it's time for me to go. I put all my trust into that and I have no worries about it."

Now that Tuberville is gone, it's a wonder what Marks will choose to do. After all, why try and get used to a whole new coaching staff when you don’t have to? Then again, maybe Marks does have to. Consider what Dunn had to say after Tuberville resigned.

"I’ve told Sen’Derrick, I’ll support you whatever you do. Personally, I told him from me, I don’t think he’s ready to come out. I don’t think he had the type of year that he needed to be a No. 1 draft choice.

"I could be dead wrong because they’re going to have to evaluate him through the pros. I don’t know what his evaluation will be. But selfishly, I’ve told him to stay in school and come back for another year, unless he was a first-rounder or something like that."

Good advice. Marks had enough talent and promise to be named a Playboy All-American before this season started. Unfortunately, two injured ankles negatively impacted him to the point that he was only able to accumulate 10 tackles and two sacks on the season.

Compare that with last season’s 43 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and two sacks, and you see Dunn’s point. The chances of the NFL brass leading Marks to believe that he will be a first-round selection after a season like the one he just had are low. Marks needs to get stronger and show what he is capable of doing because general managers and scouts aren’t going to give him his just due after the 2008 season he had.

Thus, as long as his personality jives in some measurable way with whomever the Tigers hire to be their next coach, Marks should stay in school for another season. If he does, he may just count his lucky stars (or dollars) because of it one year from now.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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