"I committed
to Ole Miss a few minutes ago," stated the well spoken Marlon Walls. "They
have been there from the start. That is where my heart is at. They have been recruiting
me the hardest from the go. I feel I can trust them, and they are the type of
coaches that you want to play your heart out for. I had to go with my heart."
When
did the 6' 4", 220 pound defender know that Ole Miss was the school of choice?
"They
have always been on my mind. They have been recruiting me real hard and have been
sending my mom letters every day. I am not going to lie, I am a momma's boy. That
is where my heart is at, and like I said, me and their coaches just got a real
good relationship going on. It was an easy decision for me, to be honest."
Who
came in second?
"It would have to be Florida. They came after me
real hard too. I know Coach Meyers is going to be disappointed because we have
built a good relationship. They were desperate for some linebackers, and I liked
how their defense played. I liked their defensive schemes too."
Where
did Ole Miss recruit Marlon to play?
"They like me at outside linebacker."
Walls
has spent the majority of his career at defensive end; did anyone else like Walls
at DE?
"Tennessee wanted me at end, so did Arkansas and Auburn. But
most of the schools liked me at OLB."
Which colleges were the most
consistent with Walls' recruitment?
"I would have to say Ole Miss,
Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, and Louisville."
All offers?
"Yes
sir. They all offered me last year, but they called me every week no matter what.
I had some other schools offer me too like Michigan State, Mississippi State,
Minnesota, and Arkansas, but they did not call me as much as those other schools."
Marlon
transferred from Wooddale (TN) to Olive Branch (MS) last summer and the transition
has gone really smooth.
"The season is going great. I just got selected to the MS/Al All-Star game. I have a 111 tackles, and I am about to break
the DeSoto County sack record. I have 10 sacks and the record is 13. The playoffs
start on Friday. We play N' West Rankin. We are excited to get started. If we
win our first two games of the playoffs, we will get another chance to play South
Panola at our house. I love competition, and there is no better competition than
South Panola. I will make sure we get a chance to play them again."
Walls
has actually had a chance to get to know three of the South Panola players who
will be his teammates next season at Ole Miss.
"I met the Barksdales
(Darius Barksdale and Bud Barksdale) and Quinn (Sanford) at the Ole Miss/Missouri
game. We exchanged numbers and have become good friends ever since. We see each
other at the Ole Miss games, and of course, I played against them earlier this
year. They are great competitors. I respect them and the whole team for that matter.
You don't win 70 something games in a row without being great competitors. I look
forward to meeting them again in the playoffs, and I really can't wait to have
them on my team for the next four years."
What is the biggest difference
between Mississippi high school football and Tennessee?
"Well, I would
say it is much more competitive in Mississippi. The county (DeSoto County) gets
into it way more than the City (of Memphis). The atmosphere is just way better.
I'll say that the Mississippi players are a lot bigger too."
What
has Marlon improved on this season?
"I would have to say my pass rushing
is a whole lot better and so are my coverage skills. I worked really hard last
summer in these two areas, and it has paid off, especially my pass coverage skills.
That was one of my biggest weaknesses and now it is one of my biggest strengths."
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