:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/36067670/451585467.0.jpg)
Brendan Marshall is almost amazingly underappreciated among Wahoo faithful. He was somewhat unheralded coming in, despite being a consensus 3-star QB from one of the top high school football programs in the DC area. He gets no love on Virginia message boards and barely gets mentioned by the coaching staff.
At QB right now, the Hoos have Greyson Lambert, Matt Johns, David Watford, Marshall and Corwin Cutler (plus walk-on Andrew Mackay). Nobody would expect Marshall to be ahead of most of those guys, because they are older and more advanced. But Cutler is a freshman and has barely played in 2 years because of a devastating knee injury. Still, in most fans eyes, he's ahead of Marshall on the depth chart. Why?
Marshall has prototypical QB size, at 6'5" 225. He was 210 when he came in, which is a bit slight, but he's worked hard to put on some weight. He doesn't have great arm strength, but his arm is good. He's a touch passer mostly, who excels by reading defenses and putting the ball in the right place. Seems like exactly the kind of QB we need.
Oh, and Marshall also punts. In fact, he was first-team All-State as a punter. He could be an emergency punter for the Hoos.
Lambert is almost undoubtedly the correct choice at QB for the Hoos right now. He's spent 2 years in the program already, he's seen action on the field, and he's a very good QB prospect. But after him, there's a lot of uncertainty. We've seen what Watford can do, and we don't want any more of him. Johns is a similar QB to Marshall, but with an extra year in the program. Marshall should be right up there with Johns, and yet he seems to get no respect.
Marshall is unlikely to see the field this year. Lambert is unquestioned as the starter. If he misses time, we'll most likely see Watford. Johns would be the next man off the bench if Watford fails miserable for a second consecutive season. Marshall may well work his way into the picture for 2015 and beyond.