Tennessee’s Jalen Marsalis Last of a Dying Breed
by Ayo Fapohunda
Posted January 16, 2014 8:04 am
Brentwood High School, Class of 2015, Jalen Marsalis
Photo Courtesy of the Tennesseean
Preps.com continues browsing through Class of 2015 prospects and now we’re extending our scope of coverage out to Nashville, Tennessee. Down south they take pride in their country music, but this silky smooth playmaker proves that the Music City isn’t just good for great voices.
In today’s day and age it seems like college coaches are so caught up on height, weight, and 40 times, they forget that the game is played between the lines. The minute we turned on Brentwood receiver Jalen Marsalis’s highlight tape, it was an immediate breath of fresh air.
With oversized receivers lacking route running ability saturating college rosters, you would think that coaches forget that the greatest receiver of all time would have been lucky to clock in a 4.6. Receivers like Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, and many more separate themselves from the pack with precise route running and other intangibles that make great receivers.
The Brentwood pass catchers ability to get in and out of his breaks, body control, and phenomenal hands and concentration is everything a “true” wide receiver coach should covet. He shows glimpses of what we loved about Notre Dame freshman, Will Fuller. Similar to Fuller, Jalen comes out of his stance the exact same every time and defensive backs can only guess whether he’s running a fade or curl.
With the success of pure receivers like San Diego rookie Keenan Allen, you would hope that college coaches are taking note and taking it back to the fundamentals of the position. Any coach that hits the recruiting trail that’s looking for a “football player” should consider paying Marsalis a visit in Nashville this spring.
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Brentwood High School, Class of 2015, Jalen Marsalis