Marcus Ball took circuitious route to NFL, Saints

His football path crossed with Falcons defensive backs coach Joe Danna, and he hoped to hear from his hometown team. But, in the end, he accepted an offer from the rival Saints.

“Really, it was coach (Rob) Ryan, coach (Sean) Payton and some of their staff and the confidence that they had in me,” Ball said. “We kicked off the start of a great relationship. There was a great spark that we had. I kind of fell into a great situation. I had to take it.”

Ball, 26, has taken the long and circuitous route to the NFL.

Rivals.com rated Ball as the No. 1 player in the state as a high school senior in 2005, after he made 136 tackles as a junior. After his senior season, Ball signed with Florida State over Florida, Miami and Virginia Tech in a hotly contested recruiting battle.

Ball played as a freshmen and sophomore and appeared on his way to stardom when he became engulfed in an academic scandal that rocked the Florida State athletic department in 2007. After a stopover at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi, he resurfaced at Memphis in 2009 and 2010, where he received a multiple-game suspension in the latter part of his senior season.

“After Memphis, I just had a Pro Day in front of a couple of scouts,” Ball said. “I never got a workout, tryout, a minicamp invite or anything.”

Despite receiving the cold shoulder from the NFL, Ball wanted to keep playing.

“I didn’t have an agent at the time, but my junior college coach told me that he had a friend that coached in Canada and that they were having a tryout in Atlanta over at Lakewood Stadium,” Ball said. “I took him up on his offer. It was with the Toronto Argonauts. It’s been history ever since.”

Ball, who converted from a linebacker to safety, had to adjust to several differences in the CFL.

“It’s a lot more space and more room to run,” Ball said. “It’s pretty much the same football, but with a few differences along the line of scrimmage. The number of people on the field is 12 instead of 11. … The wide receivers get to run toward the line of scrimmage like they do in Arena Football League.”

He helped the Argonauts win the 100th Grey Cup in 2012. Last season he made 69 tackles and intercepted three passes.

Ball is the younger brother of former Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball and former Chattanooga defensive back Raeshon Ball. They encouraged him not to give up his dream.

“I just had a strong support system and strong supporting cast around me,” Ball said. “A strong group of family and friends that just believed in me. I had to have faith and keep fighting. Keep grinding and always see the light.”

He learned a lot from his dismissal from Florida State.

“I had a great time while I was there,” Ball said. “I’ll always be a Seminole. It was just a live-and-learn situation. I had fun being young and in college. I let my grades slip up a little bit. By leaving and going to the junior college route, and eventually graduating from there, I had to eat a big piece of humble pie, and it really taught me a lot.”

Ball said being a hyped-recruit may have led him to slack on his academics.

“For the kids (being recruited now), they just want to always put education first,” Ball said. “You’ll never see a football field without passing your classes and doing your work. Without doing that, you can’t get on the field.

“I will always take that seriously. You have to put just as much effort as you do into football into the classroom because that’s more important. You’re a student first before you’re an athlete.”

Ball leaves Sunday to start participating in the Saints’ offseason program. He senses that his journey is not complete.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Ball said. “I still have to get down there and work for a roster position. I’m looking forward to.”