Marshall gives Sanders hope despite Alabama A&M setback

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - From the film crew to the football field, it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Santee Marshall.

A newly-minted walk-on running back at Jackson State, Marshall was not even listed on the roster on the JSU website last Saturday. That did not matter however, because he quickly made his name known in front of a nationally televised audience when he ran for a 54 yard touchdown to give the Tigers their first and only lead in what became a 52-43 loss to Alabama A&M.

Filling in for an injured Tyson Alexander, Marshall finished the game as JSU’s leading rusher, totaling 126 yards on 19 carries in his first game of the season.

“He came in and answered the bell,” Sanders said of Marshall on Saturday after double-checking with Jackson State staff on the pronunciation of the running back’s first name.

“Those are the moments when you see the kids and want to invest in that.”

Marshall transferred to Jackson State this year and has been put a part of the football team, however not as a player but as a member of the team’s film crew where he would shoot footage of practices and games.

No stranger to playing football, Marshall was a running back at Edna Karr High School, one of the best football programs in New Orleans and all of Louisiana. He was a running back at Mills College, a Division II school in Alabama, where he totaled just 85 yards in two seasons.

Since coming to Jackson, Marshall had been begging Sanders to give him an opportunity on the Tigers scout team as a walk-on. That role increased significantly against Alabama A&M and now Sanders is excited to work with Marshall for one more game this spring and the next season this fall.

“Went for a buck thirty on ESPN and was a camera man several weeks ago,” an exasperated Sanders said. “God, I’m proud of that kid.”

Copyright 2021 WLBT. All rights reserved.