Arizona Rattlers Sign Former Auburn Quarterback, NFL Defensive Back Nick Marshall

The Arizona Rattlers have announced the signing of former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall. He won’t be playing quarterback in the IFL, however. He will be playing the position he followed in the NFL, which is a defensive back.

Marshall comes from Pineview, GA. He originally played at the University of Georgia as a defensive back, but later transferred to Garden City Community College where he played quarterback and led them to a 7-4 record, while recording 37 touchdowns (18 in the air, 19 on the ground), and passing for 3,142 yards, and leading the team in rushing with 1,095 yards.

He then transferred to the University of Auburn, to continue playing quarterback. As an Auburn Tiger, the young stud quarterback put up very eye opening stats. He went 320 for 532 (60.2 completion percentage). He had 4,508 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, a 147.5 passer rating, 325 rushing attempts for 1,866 yards (5.7 rushing average), and 23 rushing touchdowns. The crazy thing? All of that came in two years. In 2013 he won the Iron Bowl against Alabama, in 2014 he won the SEC Championship, but lost in the 2014 BCS National Championship.

When he headed to the NFL, he was invited to the 2015 Senior Bowl as a quarterback, but announced that week that he was going to transition back to defensive back. After going undrafted, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He mostly played on special teams, but he did play in games. He even started in a week 17 game against the Houston Texans in 2015.

After being released by the Jags, and signed to their practice squad, he was picked up by the New York Jets on Oct. 12, 2016. On April 14, 2017, Marshall was suspended by the NFL for four games because he was tested positive for using performance enhancing drugs. He put up 18 combined tackles in the NFL, with one defended pass. Most of his contributions came on special teams as a kick returner, where he returned 25 kicks for 574 yards (23.0 avg).

Now, he's been signed by the Arizona Rattlers as a defensive back. This move will strengthen and possibly seal the deal with the Arizona Rattlers defense. The athleticism that Marshall offers is no doubt great. Marshall’s brother, Antonio Marshall, was also signed by the Rattlers.