It would stand to figure – a football center who can operate a shotgun.
Andrew Marshall, one of Georgia Tech’s six incoming freshman offensive linemen, handled both direct snaps and shotgun deliveries for his final three seasons of high school. He said the ratio was about 50/50 as a sophomore and then 70/30 shotgun/direct snap in his final two seasons.
Marshall, from West Forsyth High, is an avid hunter, particularly deer and duck. His firearm of choice is his Benelli Super Black Eagle shotgun.
“They’re really nice shotguns, in my opinion,” he said of the Benelli brand. “It can do pretty much anything.”
Marshall, 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, is perhaps not quite as versatile, but he’s willing to do whatever is asked.
“I feel like if I go in and work really hard and do the best I can, that’s all I can do,” Marshall said. “I don’t know whether that’ll put me as a starter or sixth string, I don’t know, but I’m going to do my best.”
With three years of experience at center, Marshall figures to get a look there, though offensive line coach Mike Sewak likes to cross train the linemen to develop depth and versatility. Interestingly, players often come from other positions to center. Jay Finch was a two-way lineman in high school, but not a center. Sean Bedford came to Tech as a walk-on defensive linemen. The two centers on the depth chart, Freddie Burden and Thomas O’Reilly, played tight end and guard in high school, respectively.
“I’m willing to do whatever the team needs me to do, and wherever I can play earliest,” Marshall said. “Whatever the team needs, it doesn’t really matter.”
Marshall was Rivals' No. 36 player in Georgia; the highest ranking received by a Tech signee. He picked Tech over Duke, Wake Forest, Syracuse, among other schools.
“I think we’re going to have a great group of guys,” he said. “We’re all going to go in and work hard and become really good friends and good teammates and play some good ball.”
12th in a series of updates on Tech’s freshman class
(sorry for the delay. I'm actually on vacation, and trying to finish out the series in the process.)
