Vince Marrow
By LARRY VAUGHT
This is part of a series with Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops based on a recent interview with him that I hope will offer insights into his personality and philosophies that you have not read about before.
Question: Did you know immediately that you wanted Vince Marrow on your staff and did you expect him to have such a huge impact in recruiting this quick?
Stoops: “I did. I did. There were several guys, as you know, the hard part about the head coaching job sometimes is some of the people that you can’t hire because there are a lot of very qualified people out there. As I was putting it all together, right away Vince rang a bell with me and we talked. A lot of the advice I received, both from my brother, people like Kevin Sumlin, my brother Bob, brother Mike, just people in the business that I really trust and are going to give me good information, told me to be very patient in that process. I saw that. I’ve been through it with Mike before. Things happen. Just like if Neal would have fell through, then you go on to the next guy and then all of a sudden the panic button hits sometimes with people. I really tried to be very thorough and very patient through that hiring process. But Vince, in hindsight, yeah, Vince was a home run.”
Did you think he would have such a huge impact on Ohio recruiting this quickly?
Stoops: “He’s surprising me a little bit, yeah. He really is. He’s really done a great job.”
Question: Why is Marrow having so much success in Ohio?
Stoops: “It’s his personality. He has a big, bodacious personality and he kind of has a great way about him where he can connect with the recruits, the parents and the coaches. He just has a great demeanor and a great way about him.”
By LARRY VAUGHT
So what is his Kentucky assistant coach Vince Marrow saying to persuade so many Ohio prep standouts to pick Kentucky?
“That is a good question,” Youngstown Christian coach Brian Marrow, the UK coach’s brother, said. “I don’t know. I have not heard his whole sales pitch. Really, I am just proud to see my younger brother doing this. I am so proud of him making his mark this way.
“Mark Stoops is a heck of a recruiter, too, and maybe Vince is just telling players what the program is about and what a great staff they have. I really like (offensive coordinator) Neal Brown and what he’s done everywhere he’s been. But I know Vince is doing a good job, too. He’s a good guy and kids just sense that.”
Does his brother know every prep coach in Ohio or does it just seem that way?
“It does seem like that. Maybe it’s the way his path has taken him,” Brian Marrow said. “There’s a huge coaching fraternity in Youngstown where he’s from. There are a lot of guys we played with and against. He lived in Columbus and then took a job in Toledo, so he’s covered all kind of areas in Ohio. He just knows a lot about the state and the people here.”
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As Youngstown (Ohio) Christian coach Brian Marrow watched Tymere Dubose play basketball, he kept thinking what a superb football player he could be, too.
“He is raw. Last year was his first year playing football, and he showed a lot. I talked him into playing football. I told him with his size and the way he moved on the basketball court, he could get something in football,” said Marrow.
He got that, too, Saturday when he became the first football player from his school to commit to a Division I program — Kentucky. The 6-5, 255-pound Dubose had offers from Michigan State, West Virginia, Maryland and Pittsburgh. Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State and Oregon had called about Dubose and Marrow was expecting more schools to begin to show interest as Dubose’s highlight tape circulated.
“He had a good first year. He was a good pass rusher and played the run well. He has a ways to go, but his upside is large,” Marrow said. “He’s good in basketball. He didn’t make all-state or anything, but he’s really a good athlete.”
Because Dubose has not been to summer camps or clinics, Marrow knows he could make dramatic improvement once he gets to Kentucky and works under defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh and head coach Mark Stoops, the former defensive coordinator at Florida State.
“I think Kentucky is really getting a good player. With Stoops and his staff, they are going to do big things for Kentucky,” Marrow said. “He will definitely be a defensive end at Kentucky. I am not an expert on defensive line play, but I definitely think he will be an end. He’s a good kid, a fun kid. His grades are good and he’s doing pretty decent academically. I told him now he would have to hit it even harder now with the expectations being big on him. He has to work out and hit the books even more to get his grades up even higher.”
Marrow certainly knows plenty about the staff at Kentucky. His brother, Vince, is the tight ends coach at UK. He’s know Stoops since he played football with his brother. Brian Marrow’s high school coach was Stoops’ uncle.
“I know the reputation Mark Stoops has and knew he would be a good fit at Kentucky,” the Youngstown coach said. “I just wanted to see if he (Dubose) was wanted. He took a visit to the spring game with his grandmother and mother and they all really liked it. Once he told me that, I told him I thought it would be a good fit for him at Kentucky. People on that staff are accountable to me to look out for his best interests.”
Those are not the coach’s only ties to Kentucky. His daughter lives in Lexington and works at the University of Kentucky hospital. But get this — he coached former UK star linebacker Danny Trevathan, who is now with the Denver Broncos, in little league in Youngstown.
“Danny moved when he was about 12 or 13. But I’ve had my eye on Kentucky and I was excited when Stoops got the job. I remember my daughter texting me when they were looking at Stoops and thought then he could be great for Kentucky,” Marrow said. “His reputation is so good. It’s that way with the whole Stoops’ family. It would not surprise me if they won some games they are not expected to win next year and get this turned around.
“I know it will take time but I would not be surprised if they do turn it around quick. I do not want to put pressure them on because know I know it will be hard in the SEC, but it would not surprise me at all to see them do that.”
If it happens, one reason could be the recruiting Vince Marrow is doing in Ohio. He’s already got five verbal commitments from Ohio in UK’s 2014 recruiting class as well as one highly-touted transfer.
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As expected, Kentucky got another verbal commitment today from an Ohio prep standout — tight end Darryl Long of Westerville South High School tight. He was expected to pick the Wildcats today and the 6-4, 225-pound Long, ranked as the nation’s 22nd best tight end prospect by Rivals.com, gives UK offensive coordinator Neal Brown the the big target he likes in his offense.
He picked Kentucky over Louisville, Indiana, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and others as he had 17 Division I offers.
But Youngstown (Ohio) Christian defensive end Tymere Dubose also verbally committed to UK. He’s the first player from his school to land a Division I scholarship. The 6-5, 255-pound Dubose had offers from Michigan State, West Virginia and Pitt — a major accomplishment considering he did not play football until last year because he is also a standout basketball player.
Kentucky had one big edge here — Youngstown Christian coach Brian Marrow is the brother of UK tight ends coach Vince Marrow. Vince Marrow is UK’s primary recruiter in Ohio.
Earlier UK got another Ohio product, running back Braylon Heard, to announce he was transferring from Nebraska to Kentucky and the Cats also have verbal commitments from Ohio four-star players Thaddeus Snodgrass (wide receiver) and Mikel Horton (running back) along with three-star linebacker Dorian Hendrix.
By LARRY VAUGHT
Linebacker Chris Frey, like many other Ohio juniors, has a “definite interest” in playing football at Kentucky.
“He is very interested in them,” said (Columbus) Upper Arlington High School coach Mike Golen. “They were just here the other day to see him. They talked then like they were right on the verge of offering him (a scholarship).”
The 6-2, 215-pound Frey plays both linebacker and running back for Golen.
“He excelled at running back, but Kentucky, and other schools, so him as a linebacker,” Golen said. “He’s real aggressive and a really good athlete. He has a real smooth stride. He’s just a special athlete.”
Golen says his standout has “quite a few scholarship offers” with many other schools continuing to evaluate him.
The list of offers includes Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Syracuse, Toledo and Western Michigan. Among those evaluating him are Boston College, Indiana, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
Frey had an impressive workout at a Nike SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) Combine in Massillon, Ohio where he raised his combine score and was named a 2013 Rivals.com second Team Army All-Combine team. At the SPARQ workout, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds, had a powerball toss of 37.5 feet, recorded a vertical jump of 33.3 inches and finished the 20-yard shuttle in 4.31 seconds.
“This will be his third year to start both ways for us,” Golen said. “He’s an excellent worker. He’s excellent on the field and in the weight room. He was almost a unanimous selection as a team captain in voting by his peers. That tells you what they think of him.
“He’s a pretty good student, too. He’s going to graduate early. We knew from the start of high school and started working to get him through school a semester early. We have a lot of kids go on to college to play. He will graduate early, something that does make him more attractive to schools because at a lot of places, that’s really a great thing.”
Golen says Frey can run the 40 in 4.6 seconds and has the frame to end up “235 or 240 pounds” in college.
“He has a great wide frame and can carry that weight easy,” Golen said. “I think he’ll be a difference maker in college.”
Like other Ohio players being recruited by Kentucky, assistant coach Vince Marrow has been UK’s lead recruiter and difference maker with Frey.
“To be honest, this is the first time Kentucky has been up here in a while,” Golen said. “I think Chris is interested because of their league affiliation. Being in the SEC gives them added weight.
“Mark Stoops is changing things, and that’s a good thing. A lot of kids from around here would have interest in a place like Kentucky. We have a lot of players here in central Ohio that are really good. But they now have an assistant (Marrow) that knows this area well. He’s pretty connected around here in Ohio, and that really helps Kentucky. He’s made a big impact with Kentucky.”
Several high school juniors are rumored to have given UK verbal commitments after the Blue-White Game to end spring practice and are ready to make them public this weekend. Golen says Frey is not quite that far along yet.
“I think him and his family are really tired of travelling around. I think he’ll decide by June 1 or around then to make his decision,” Golen said. “He won’t drag this out all summer.”
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Kentucky coach Mark Stoops talked about assistant coach Vince Marrow, quarterback Jalen Whitlow, UK fans and recruiting during Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference teleconference.
Question: What was your first spring practice like?
Stoops: “I was encouraged with the first spring. I felt like things went well. I was impressed with our players, felt like they had a great attitude and were there embracing the process. So I was really happy with their attitude and the way they were going about their business. Encouraged with the spring game and our fans. This fan base is awfully hungry to help us be successful. That was evident with their support of the spring game. So overall, I’m pleased with the way things are going.”
Question: What makes tight ends coach Marrow such a good recruiter and is Ohio his only territory?
Stoops: “I’ve got him just in Ohio right now. What makes him a great recruiter, I think, is just his ability to make everybody feel comfortable. He’s very good at just building relationships. He works at it extremely hard. And he has a lot of ties to Ohio. He’s lived in three or four different parts of Ohio, grew up in Ohio, went to the same high school that I did. So Vince knows me very well. He knows how we want to go about our business in recruiting. So I think just with his work ethic and his ability to build relationships are some of the best qualities he has.”
Question: Is Georgia a recruiting priority?
Stoops: “Absolutely, yes. Yeah, we are currently recruiting Georgia, yes.”
Question: Was there any separation in the quarterback battle based on reviewing the spring game video?
Stoops: “I think it’s very fair to say that Jalen (Whitlow) had the best spring game and did some awfully good things. So, I have got to say that Jalen had the best spring game and did some awfully good things. With that being said, it’s still an open competition there.”
Question: Where does UK need the most help from freshmen/junior college transfers?
Stoops: “Obviously we need help at every position. We need to improve across the board. But what stands out to me right now is the skill positions, both on offense and on defense. We need to get a lot better in the secondary and we need to get better at wide receiver.”
Question: Has he been surprised with how the 2014 recruiting has gone?
Stoops: “I’ve been very encouraged with recruiting since I’ve been to Kentucky. I feel like we’re getting a good reception. I feel like the coaches are working extremely hard. And the coaches have the ability to get in there and build some relationships and earn some trust from some of these recruits. So overall, I’ve been very pleased with 2013 and the start of 2014, yes.”
Question: Are there particular areas of need in the 2014 recruiting class?
Stoops: “We really need a lot of help in every area. So I feel like we need help across the board, but we need to continue – it’s hard to say, because we need help everywhere, but we certainly need some help in the skill positions like I mentioned. I think really at defensive back and wide receiver, we really need to upgrade there.”
Question: How did tailbacks Dyshawn Mobley and Josh Clemons perform in the spring?
Stoops: “Dyshawn, he was a good back. He just really did some good things. I was impressed. I feel like he’s a physical guy, up over about 215 pounds, gives us a little physical punch, and he’s also got some good speed. So I was impressed with him. Josh is, again, a pleasant surprise. I think with coming back off a knee injury, I really just was impressed with him. He also had a good spring game. We did not practice him back-to-back. If we did have a back-to-back practice, we just practiced him one or the other to let that knee heal up a little bit between practices. But again, a big, physical guy that’s got some good vision. So I was happy with Josh.”
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Lakota West offensive lineman Kyle Meadows know plenty about Kentucky’s most recent verbal commitment, junior running back Mikel Horton.
Meadows, who signed with UK in February, blocked for Horton last season when he ran for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 6-1, 230-pound Horton ranks among the nation’s top running backs and had scholarship offers from Florida State, Arkansas, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota, Kent State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati , Toledo, Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio). He had received interest from Penn State and Michigan State. He had also visited Alabama and Mississippi State.
Horton, who plans to graduate in December and enroll at Kentucky in January, looks like a big back — and is — but Meadows says he is athletic and agile.
“He is an unexpected playmaker,” Meadows said. “Since he is so big for a running back, you expect him to be slow or have not footwork. But he’s amazing. He has power plus speed. Last season was his first season really being as versatile as he could. He was used for pass blocking, running cutbacks, just doing whatever. He has another year to improve on that, but he’s a true athlete.
“You have to see him play in person to really appreciate him. Based on appearances, he might look that great when you just see him. But he’s doing something right to have the status that he does and if you see him play, you’ll know why. He is the kind of guy you love to block for. All he does before a game is say, ‘Open a hole and, I’ve got you.’ I do it and he runs for days. He’s really good.”
Horton, who made his commitment at the Rivals Under Armour All-American Camp Saturday, was in Lexington for the UK Blue-White Game that attracted over 50,000 fans and told Meadows how impressed he was and that it compared to spring games he saw at Alabama and Tennessee.
“He said he didn’t see any difference between Kentucky and the so-called top-notch SEC schools, and I agree,” Meadows said.
Kentucky was Horton’s first Southeastern Conference offer and he quickly built a relationship with coach Mark Stoops and assistant Vince Marrow, UK’s lead recruiter in Ohio.
He is Kentucky’s third verbal commit from Ohio in the 2014 recruiting class and others could be close to making the same decision. Meadows has communicated with many of the potential 2014 recruits.
“I give them advice. I don’t really make the decision. I tell them what is good about Kentucky, but I don’t put down other colleges,” Meadows said. “I just tell them what all is going on at Kentucky.”
What is right in his opinion is the “Kentucky fan base” from what he’s seen.
“As soon as those guys stepped out on the field for the spring game, they could feel the excitement and everything I was telling them,” Meadows said. “It’s just the general hospitality around the program. I am sold on that and the coaching staff and players themselves.
“I wasn’t surprised by the spring game crowed. I was expecting it and told guys (Ohio recruits) to expect that. It just makes me feel even better about next year. Just imagine how many we will get for a real home game. We are also getting more people committed, and that excites me. We are getting de-commits from people that want to come to us. We are getting well known players like Mikel to come to Kentucky that have gone to almost any school. Kentucky is getting it done and that’s what I tell recruits like Mikel.”
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Kentucky got its second verbal commitment for the 2014 recruiting class when Ohio linebacker Dorian Hendrix of Huber Heights committed while on an unofficial visit this weekend.
The 6-1, 215-pound Hendrix is rated as a three-star prospect and the nation’s 59th best outside linebacker by Scout.com and had scholarship offers from Illinois, Indiana, Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo. He was also receiving interest from Michigan, Ohio State and West Virginia but did not have a scholarship offer from those schools. His lead recruiter was tight ends coach Vince Marrow, an Ohio native.
He joins Alabama defensive end Denzel Ware as the first commitments in Mark Stoops’ second recruiting class at Kentucky.
Another Ohio player, four-star receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass, also made an unofficial visit to UK this weekend along with running back Braylon Heard, an Ohio native who is transferring from Nebraska and will have to sit out the 2013 season.
Heard played in 19 games in two years at Nebraska and ran for 462 yards and four scores on 77 carries — an average of 6.0 yards per carry. The 5-11, 185-pound Heard rushed for 1,973 yards and 24 scores as a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School in Ohio while leading his team to the Division III state title — he had 178 yards and two touchdowns rushing, caught a touchdown pass and made an interception.
He was ranked as one of the nation’s top five high school running backs by Rivals.com and one of the top 60 overall recruits. He chose Nebraska over Penn State, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and West Virginia.
By LARRY VAUGHT
If Kentucky football fans were happy with this year’s recruiting class, tight ends coach Vince Marrow says just wait because even better days are ahead.
“We had six weeks to do this. Giving us a whole year, it’s going to be pretty special, pretty interesting. I’m very fired up. I know everybody else is fired up. Like I said, we’ve already got some of the top 10 guys on board that want to come now (next year). So it’s going to be a good thing,” said Marrow.
The coach, who came to UK from Nebraska, has strong connections in Ohio. That’s one reason UK signed Marcus McWilson, a four-star recruit that Marrow calls a “gifted athlete” that many feel is one of the best five players in Ohio.
“I am already on the top 15 guys (in Ohio) for next year. Can’t say their names, but they’re some very highly recruited guys,” Marrow said. ”So I can tell you this: Ohio is a very important state for us. We will be in there. We will take the top guys. I will be battling with Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska. And I feel pretty good about where we’re going with this.”
He says the key is not to be afraid to go after the best possible players.
“I know I don’t take a back seat to anyone. I know where Mark (Stoops) is from – he’s from Youngstown, Ohio – he don’t take a back seat. And most of the guys on this staff. We went after the top guys. We’re not going after no third-tier guys. We’re going after the top guys,” Marrow said.
“I like coach Stoops’ attitude. We’re going to recruit five-star, four-star, highly recruited guys. You’ll see. We did this in six weeks. Now we’ve got a whole big chance for next year and we’ve got some guys on board already talking about wanting to commit as juniors.”
Junior defensive end Denzel Ware of Florida, a top 50 player in some recruiting rankings, gave Stoops his verbal commitment earlier this week.
Marrow also says UK fans can expect the tight end to have a “more integral part” in next season’s offense.
“You’ve got to have a kid that can run. That’s why we took the Steve (Borden) kid. I call him the WWF wrestling kid (his father is wrestler Sting). But that’s why we took him. We’re going to get some of the top national guys for 2014,” Marrow said. “But I like the (current UK tight end Anthony) Kendrick kid. He fits what we need to do. You’re going to see the tight end play a big role in this offense.”
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Chad Scott photo courtesy Texas Tech
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former Kentucky tailback Chad Scott, who has spent the past six seasons coaching running backs with new UK offensive coordinator Neal Brown at both Troy and Texas Tech, will return to Lexington as an offensive assistant coach with the Wildcats, head coach Mark Stoops announced Thursday. Scott’s position assignment will be finalized when the staff hiring is complete.
“I’m excited to have Chad join our staff,” Stoops said. “He has had tremendous success coaching in this system and his familiarity with Coach Brown, along with his experience with the Kentucky program, will help our transition with the team. He also is known as an outstanding recruiter and I’m confident he will help us in that area as well.”
Scott ventures back to Kentucky after spending the last three seasons at Texas Tech. While TTU has been known for great success throwing the ball, Scott’s running backs have made significant contributions to the offense as well. The Red Raiders have rushed for 135.5 yards per game and scored 51 rushing touchdowns during his three seasons. TTU’s primary running backs have averaged 4.95 yards per rushing attempt.
Scott inherited a running attack that ranked 115th in rushing offense in 2009 at 84 yards per game, improving that mark in his first season to 75th nationally with 141.3 yards per contest. The team’s leading rusher, Baron Batch, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and is in his second season with that team.
The improvements continued in Scott’s second season as Texas Tech was on pace to have its best year rushing since the late 1990s before Tech’s top two rushers both sustained season-ending injuries. The Red Raider running backs still rushed for 1,516 yards on the season.
In 2012, TTU averaged 139.5 yards per game on the ground with three backs rushing for more than 400 yards each. Overall, Texas Tech won the TicketCity Bowl over Northwestern following the 2010 season and has earned a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas this season.
Scott earned his first full-time coaching job at Troy as an assistant coach for running backs from 2007-09, helping lead the Trojans three consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championships and a pair of appearances in the New Orleans Bowl.
Scott was a part of an offensive turnaround at Troy, inheriting an offense that ranked 66th in rushing offense and 77th in total offense prior to his arrival. In just one season, Troy moved to 35th nationally in rushing offense with 182.6 yards per game and 16th in total offense with 452.8 yards per contest. In his final season at Troy, the Trojans ranked third in the nation in total offense.
In each of Scott’s first two seasons he coached an All-Sun Belt Conference player in Kenny Cattouse and DuJuan Harris. Harris ranked second in the conference in rushing in 2008 with 1,077 yards. In Scott’s last season at Troy he coached Shawn Southward, who rushed for 602 yards and 12 touchdowns, to Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
In his six seasons at Troy and Texas Tech, Scott’s teams have averaged 34.1 points per game.
“Chad is a very detail-oriented coach and his players have been very productive at Troy and Texas Tech. His familiarity with the system is a great asset,” Brown said. “Chad is also a phenomenal recruiter. He does a great job building relationships with student-athletes, families and coaches.”
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Stoops, as I love the vision he has for Kentucky,” Scott said. “I’m also excited to continue working with Neal Brown. We’ve had a great relationship coaching together the past six years and we’re very eager to bring success to the Kentucky program.
“Kentucky is a special place to me and my family. It’s an honor to return to the school where I began my college career and is my wife’s alma mater.”
A native of Tampa, Fla., Scott enrolled at Kentucky in 2000, rushing for 611 yards as a true freshman en route to All-SEC Freshman Team honors and third-team Freshman All-America honors. Scott’s sophomore season with UK was limited because of injury and he transferred to North Carolina to complete his collegiate career.
With the Tar Heels, Scott rushed for 182 yards as a junior. In a solid senior campaign, Scott ranked seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing with 796 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
Scott spent time in the National Football League with Cleveland, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants before returning to his alma mater in 2006 as a graduate assistant video analyst.
Scott graduated from UNC with a degree in sociology. He is married to the former Shambrica Jones, who played basketball at Kentucky, and the couple has a daughter, Kori, and a son, Jakobe.
Vince Marrow photo courtesy University of Nebraska
Vince Marrow Joins Staff as Tight Ends Coach
Vince Marrow, former National Football League tight end who has spent the last two seasons coaching tight ends at perennial national power Nebraska, has agreed to join Mark Stoops as tight ends coach at the University of Kentucky, the new UK head coach announced Thursday.
“I’m very excited that Coach Marrow has joined our staff,” Stoops said. “His diverse experiences as a coach and NFL player will be invaluable to our players and our program. He also is a great recruiter, especially with his outstanding connections in Ohio.”
Stoops and Marrow, both from Youngstown, Ohio, knew each other as children before playing football together at Cardinal Mooney High School. Marrow went on to have a successful playing career collegiately and professionally as a tight end before entering the coaching ranks.
Marrow (pronounced the same as in the term “bone marrow”) comes to UK from Nebraska, where he coached the Cornhuskers’ tight ends the last two seasons. In 2012, Marrow helped guide NU’s tight ends to a combined 45 catches for 579 yards and five touchdowns, while their blocking ability has helped NU rank eighth in the country in rushing offense. Two of Marrow’s tight ends, Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed, who rank fourth and sixth on the team respectively in receiving, earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors this season. The Huskers are 10-3 and will take on Georgia in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1.
Marrow’s knowledge and coaching have had an impact on the Nebraska offense as the Cornhuskers currently sit 24th in total offense and 28th in scoring offense nationally, an improvement from 44th in total offense and 39th in scoring offense the year before he arrived.
Marrow showed an impact on the Huskers’ offense in his first season, helping Nebraska average nearly 30 points per game in 2011, scoring at least two touchdowns in every game throughout the season, a feat that an NU team had accomplished only twice in the past 10 seasons. The Cornhuskers went 9-4, including a trip to the Capital One Bowl.
Although Marrow’s title was graduate assistant in his term at Nebraska, he had an expanded role last spring, getting to hit the recruiting trail after Nebraska was granted a waiver from the NCAA to allow Marrow to recruit off campus while associate head coach Barney Cotton was unable to recruit due to surgery. Marrow made an immediate impact on NU’s recruiting in Ohio.
“I’ve known Mark Stoops for a lot of years and this is a great opportunity to come here and work with him,” Marrow said. “I’m excited to be here and looking forward to the new era of Kentucky football.
“I also want to Coach Bo Pelini for giving me the opportunity to work at Nebraska and all I learned from him on and off the field. My family enjoyed our two years in Lincoln and we wish everyone there the best.”
Prior to his stint at Nebraska, Marrow spent six years in the coaching ranks, mostly in professional football with NFL Europe and the United Football League. The year before joining Bo Pelini’s staff at NU, Marrow was tight ends coach with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL.
Before serving as the head coach of Holland High School in Springfield, Ohio in 2009, Marrow earned his first collegiate coaching position at his alma mater, Toledo, in 2008. Marrow coached the Rockets’ tight ends, helping John Allen and Tom Burzine to finish third and fifth on the team in receiving, respectively.
Marrow began his coaching career in NFL Europe, coaching tackles and tight ends with the Rhein Fire (Düsseldorf, Germany) from 2006-07 before holding the same position with the Berlin Thunder from 2005-06.
Marrow had a professional playing career as a member of NFL rosters on five teams, including Buffalo, Carolina, New York Jets, Chicago and San Francisco. After his NFL days ended, Marrow played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in 1998, earning all-league honors with 32 receptions for 345 yards. He also played for the Orlando Rage in the XFL in 2000.
Marrow began his collegiate playing career at Youngstown State before transferring to Toledo. Marrow played two seasons at Toledo, earning second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors in 1991 before being drafted by the Bills in 1992.
Marrow graduated from Toledo with a degree in criminal justice. He and his wife, Dr. Monique Marrow, have five children, Mike, Phylica, Merrisa, Victoria and Aryanna. Mike is a fullback at Nebraska.
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