As Duke coach David Cutcliffe has prepared his team this week to face Georgia Tech, his knowledge of Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall is deeper than it is for most opponents. Back when Marshall was a quarterback at Harris County High, Duke was among the schools recruiting him.
Cutcliffe offered his praise for his one-time target on Wednesday.
“He’s just a great person,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s a great athlete, he’s a fierce competitor. I like players that you can see on film, they can’t wait to play the next play, regardless of the result of the (previous) play. They get up and go back and I think that’s his personality. That’s why anybody would love to have him on their football team. He loves to compete.”
Duke was among a number of offers that Marshall received. Others included Cincinnati, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Appalachian State.
Cutcliffe said he wasn't sure where Marshall would have played had he come to Duke. Coach Paul Johnson was similar in how he saw Marshall, who played at A-back as a freshman in 2015 before being switched over to quarterback early in spring practice in 2016.
“He’s obviously a great athlete, and he’s not the prototypical size for a drop-back quarterback, but we try to use a lot of players in a lot of different roles,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s a guy that, yeah, he can play quarterback. He’s proven that every game. But he can also be a running back, he can be a slot receiver, he can be a DB. I think when you sign a player like that, you’re really not sure what to expect. You get them on your roster. But I promise you, you’ll find lots of ways to use them.”
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