TideFans 2009 Crown Jewel Countdown - #28 - FB/LB Mike Marrow .

LCN · March 6th, 2009, 12:51 AM

Ratings system - http://www.tidefans.com/forums/recru...ml#post1038119

#28 FB/LB Mike Marrow 6' 2" 240
Holland , OH
Coached by Greg Dempsey at Central Catholic High School .

TideFans consensus rating - 2.5
RTO - 3
CS - 3
BET - 3
LCN - 1

Recruited by Bobby Williams and Nick Saban .
Mike is the son of Vince Marrow who played for five NFL teams over eight seasons including two Super Bowl appearances with the Buffalo Bills .
2nd ranked FB by ESPNU
11th ranked FB by Scout.com
15th ranked FB by Rivals.com

As a high school senior Marrow totaled 893 rushing yards on 175 carries with 11 touchdowns .

Mike is a hard-nosed , strong looking short yardage type back who is tough as nails with good size , decent athleticism and seems to enjoy contact . Marrow is also one of the more intriguing signees in this class because he is so hard to classify as he could legitimately play several positions . Alabama rarely uses a fullback and is very deep at inside linebacker , so he's a prospect who will arrive in Tuscaloosa without a definitive position . While Mike has the potential to be an early contributor , the question remains , where ? TideFans feels Marrow has enough talent to possibly see some playing time on special teams as a true freshman but , we believe a redshirt season is highly likely before settling in at fullback or h-back . Mike chose to sign with the Tide over offers from Nebraska , PnSt. and Wisconsin .

ncbama · March 6th, 2009, 07:41 AM

Have you considered adding the Rivals and Scout star ratings to your reports? For the reader that would give a good perspective on local vs. national. In any case you guys are off to a good start.

March 6th, 2009, 08:43 AM

	Quote:	ncbama
	Have you considered adding the Rivals and Scout star ratings to your reports? For the reader that would give a good perspective on local vs. national. In any case you guys are off to a good start.

Good suggestion, IMO.

LCN, thanks to all of you for publishing these. THey are interesting and informative.

tambo410 · March 6th, 2009, 10:52 AM

Could he be a Le'Ron McClain type fullback (really just a larger version of a halfback)? I think we could have used Le'Ron better and perhaps this is a second chance to experiment at some point...

Crimson Surfer · March 6th, 2009, 02:55 PM

My opinon and comments:

Mike Marrow is a big, powerful RB/FB and a tough run stuffing LB who had 89 tackles on defense last season. He could play either offense or defense but he was signed to play RB/FB at Alabama. I expect him to redshirt but he has the size and talent to contribute as a freshman.

RollTide.com: National Signing Day 2009 - Alabama's Signing Class

	Quote:
	Mike Marrow comes to Tuscaloosa as one of the top fullback prospects in the country ... a versatile and skilled athlete with tremendous size ... listed as the No. 2 overall fullback by ESPNU ... listed as the No. 11 fullback by Scout.com and 15th by Rivals.com ... 55th on Rivals.com list of postseason prospects in the state of Ohio ... rushed for 893 yards on 175 carries for Central Catholic while scoring 11 touchdowns ... played at New Albany (Ohio) High School as a junior in 2007, rushing for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging just over five yards per carry ... father, Vince, played for eight years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers ... played two Super Bowls with the Bills ... coached by Greg Dempsey at Central Catholic ... chose the Crimson Tide over Nebraska, Penn State, Wisconsin and Toledo.

Alasippi · March 6th, 2009, 03:56 PM

Marrow intrigues me a lot. Because we offered so early and he committed so early he didn't get a whole ton of publicity like the "hold outs" who wait until national signing day.

But he's definitely a Saban type running back with exceptional strength and pretty good speed.

I think he may surprise us quite a bit before his career is over.

G-VilleTider · March 6th, 2009, 06:22 PM

After Huber leaves next year, won't Marrow be the only "true" FB on the roster? I know Griffen might be used in that role, but last year he spent as a hb. Even though we don't use much of a traditional FB, we still need that big, fast, strong guy that can help for short yardage/goal line scenarios. I hope he can be that guy for us.

BEATtutorsee · March 6th, 2009, 11:21 PM

	Quote:	tambo410
	Could he be a Le'Ron McClain type fullback (really just a larger version of a halfback)? I think we could have used Le'Ron better and perhaps this is a second chance to experiment at some point...

I think Jalston Fowler (a current commit for the 2010 class) is more comparable to McClain (though he is more athletic than LeRon was/is). If Marrow stays on offense I could see him developing into that lead blocker role that Travis McCall excelled so well at this year, along with getting occasional short yardage carries. If we end up needing him on defense he'd be a natural fit as a run stuffing MLB IMO, or possibly even grow into a situational DE.

bamar · March 7th, 2009, 09:14 AM

last season we did not have that big 3d down and 1 or 2 yard back, especially goal line situations. also we did not have the big back helping with the protection of the qb.

runtheoption22 · March 7th, 2009, 10:07 AM

	Quote:	BEATtutorsee
	I think Jalston Fowler (a current commit for the 2010 class) is more comparable to McClain (though he is more athletic than LeRon was/is). If Marrow stays on offense I could see him developing into that lead blocker role that Travis McCall excelled so well at this year, along with getting occasional short yardage carries. If we end up needing him on defense he'd be a natural fit as a run stuffing MLB IMO, or possibly even grow into a situational DE.

If we stay with the primary ace packages, I think Marrow could be a Travis McCall who is a more lethal threat in the pass game.

Marrow is just a blue collar kid who will do whatever is asked of him.

Let's say Marrow had went to NU or PSU. He'd probably be a bruiser that would be competing for the starting job by his sophomore or junior year. We just have a huge talent influx at the true RB position.

derek4tide · March 7th, 2009, 11:36 AM

So solid from top to bottom, this class (overall) may have more talent than last year's. If Marrow is #28 - wow-, that's a high plateau to begin with.

BEATtutorsee · March 7th, 2009, 11:33 PM

	Quote:	runtheoption22
	If we stay with the primary ace packages, I think Marrow could be a Travis McCall who is a more lethal threat in the pass game. Marrow is just a blue collar kid who will do whatever is asked of him. Let's say Marrow had went to NU or PSU. He'd probably be a bruiser that would be competing for the starting job by his sophomore or junior year. We just have a huge talent influx at the true RB position.

Agreed. Marrow will certainly be a more athletic threat than McCall ever was.
Also, couldn't agree more with you on the "blue collar" adage for Marrow, he's the kind of kid that may not get the hype, but he's the kind of guy you build championship teams with.

	Quote:	derek4tide
	So solid from top to bottom, this class (overall) may have more talent than last year's. If Marrow is #28 - wow-, that's a high plateau to begin with.

As a whole I believe it is more talented than last year's class. Last year's class may have had more "star power" at the top but this year's is more talented top to bottom IMHO.

BigEasyTider · March 7th, 2009, 11:45 PM

	Quote:	BEATtutorsee
	Last year's class may have had more "star power" at the top but this year's is more talented top to bottom IMHO.

If anything, this class has even more star power at the top than the 2008 class did. Really the only way the 2008 class was better than this one is because it is a little bit bigger.