Marsalis Teague, the do-everything athlete from Paris, Tennessee became Florida’s 15th commitment Thursday evening when he selected the Gators over Alabama and Tennessee in a heated recruiting battle. Teague (5-10, 170, Paris, TN Henry County) was an outstanding quarterback at the high school level but he projects as a cornerback or wide receiver when he reports to the Gators in late June.
Teague had been a Florida-Alabama battle until recently when Tennessee entered the fray as a serious player under new head coach Lane Kiffin. However, Teague ended the process Thursday when he called Coach Urban Meyer to tell him he had made up his mind.
Teague’s offensive stats are mind-boggling. He finished the 2008 high school season with 130 carries for 1,664 rushing yards (12.8 yards per carry) and 22 touchdowns. Through the air, Teague was a very respectable 84-127 for 1,310 Yards with 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Teague played sparingly on the defensive side of the ball but he did pick off one pass and return it for a touchdown. He also ran one punt back for a score and one kickoff as well.
Teague popped up on the Florida recruiting radar a little bit late in the process. The Gators didn’t start pursuing him until late in the summer but they made up ground quickly.
What helped the Gators was the presence of cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford, who coached Janoris Jenkins into a freshman All-American and Joe Haden into a second team All-SEC player this year. When he was on the staff at Michigan, Bedford coached Charles Woodson, who became the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.
In a conversation with Gator Country a few weeks ago, Teague said, “Coach Bedford told me that [Florida] was going to make up some ground in recruiting [when they first began serious talks in July]. They have made up that ground and then some.”
Although he’s an outstanding athlete capable of playing on either side of the ball, expect Teague to start out on defense when he arrives in Gainesville in late June.
Gator Country will be talking to Teague and his coach early in the morning so we will be updating this story.
ESPN SCOUTS EVALUATION:
Teague is a playmaking dual-threat quarterback who may get recruited more as an athlete—but we feel he could remain behind center in the right zone-read system. He lacks great overall size but is long, rangy and has a very smooth, natural stride. Very slippery and elusive with the ball in his hands. Has loose, fluid hips and very smooth movement skills. Can be a decisive runner when he decides to tuck it. Shows good initial quicks and burst out of his downhill cuts. Not overly explosive, a bit quicker than fast and tends to build top speed with his long stride—but can still pull away in the second level. Does not gear down when cutting in the open field. He is more of an athlete playing QB at this point but will surprise you with his live arm, touch, and ability to throw accurately on the run. We do have concerns about his marginal size and strength to break tackles; would benefit from a red-shirt year for continued physical development and positional polish. Could make the move to DB with his good range, ball skills and natural adjustment to the downfield throw. A potential mismatch on offense if employed in the slot with his foot-quickness in space. Overall, Teague is still a bit raw, undersized but has a boat load of natural talent and could develop into a big-play guy on either side of the football. Potential sleeper on the recruiting trail.
Notes
2008: Tennessee ESPN Rise Gatorade Football Player of the Year. 2007: Passed for 1,642 yards and 17 touchdowns… Rushed for 1,355 yards and 16 touchdowns. Also recruited by Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Memphis…Official Visits: Florida – October 10th