Jason Marshall learned the finer points from Kaiir Elam
It’s late at night on September 10 and Jason Marshall is settling into his first road trip with the Florida Gators.
Some guys will bring a PlayStation or an Xbox with them on the road to relax at night. Others will FaceTime or call their friends, girlfriends, or parents.
Marshall didn’t know what to expect on his first hotel stay with his team, so he looked to his road roommate.
Kaiir Elam wasn’t on the phone. He certainly wasn’t playing NBA2K either. The All-SEC cornerback had his iPad out and was going over film.
“That is what set him apart from anybody that I’ve talked to, anybody that I’ve learned from,” Marshall said of Elam. “I took that. Me and him were roommates the day before games and I’d see him going over plays and that just made me, give me the juice to do it too.”
More than anything Elam did on the field to help the Gators, it was something he did off the field that will benefit Marshall and Florida this year. The lesson of what to do off the field to get yourself prepared on it will stick with the sophomore cornerback the most.
Marshall played a lot as a freshman. He appeared in all 13 games this season, starting at defensive back in six. A five star in the On3 consensus, Marshall was expected to be able to come in and play right away. Having a mentor like Elam made that easier.
Heading into his second year, even more will be expected of him. Marshall still talks to Elam, who is back in Gainesville getting ready for Florida’s Pro Day. But he’ll have a new mentor in 2022.
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Marshall gets another great mentor in Corey Raymond
Corey Raymond is among the most respected names in college coaching circles. The former defensive back at LSU spent more than a decade on the Bayou before joining Billy Napier’s staff. He’s coached 14 NFL Draft picks and four Pro Bowlers. He’s a relentless recruiter but, more than that, an endless sea of knowledge and a tremendous teacher of technique.
“With his experience, it’s helping everybody. Everybody in the corner’s room,” Marshall said of his new coach. “He is very specific with the details. That’s what’s helped a lot of us become, not here, but in the NFL and the next level, too.”
Raymond has seen a lot of great cornerbacks in his time. He even identified and recruited Marshall out of high school.
“He has a lot of talent. I recruited him when he was at the school he was at in Miami,” Raymond recalled. “I thought he was one of the top guys coming out. He decided to come to Florida. It’s just come full circle when I came here. Everything works for a reason.”
Marshall laughed when asked about what it was like telling Raymond “no” in high school. He also turned down Alabama and Nick Saban, who tried to flip him late in his recruitment. Now, with Raymond’s knowledge and track record, Marshall is looking to be added to that long list of players Raymond has helped get to the NFL.
“He has a chance to be really good,” Raymond said of Marshall. “He’s buying in, he’s a good kid. He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to do to get better.”
