Character making his mark

[aubiefifty 16,757]

Marlon Character Jr. making his mark in Auburn's secondary this spring

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Marlon Character Jr. didn't see the field last season, instead redshirting as a freshman. Now that he's getting an opportunity to earn his keep, the Auburn defensive back is catching the eyes of multiple veteran teammates early on this spring.

Character, a former three-star prospect, has been working primarily at field cornerback with the second-team defense as Carlton Davis' backup. At least two teammates -- safety Stephen Roberts and linebacker Deshaun Davis -- have mentioned Character's name when asked about early standouts this spring.

"He's a ballplayer," Deshaun Davis said. "You can look at him and tell. Sometimes, by him coming off a redshirt, he wasn't really with the defense last year, so he's still learning the system. If he on, you ain't gonna get nothing out of him, he's going to get some turnovers and he's going to run to the ball and make plays."

Character is picking up where he left off at the end of last season, when he received praise as the "most productive" freshman during the Tigers' early Sugar Bowl practices, when young players -- redshirting freshmen included -- got opportunities to scrimmage and do a little more than they normally would during the regular season.

The only difference? Character is making his mark at a different position. He signed with Auburn as a safety and repped there last season, including during bowl practices.

"He always said he wanted to play corner, so he felt like he was more comfortable at corner," Deshaun Davis said. "At the end of the year, when we had our redshirt guys scrimmaging or whatever, he was making a lot of plays at safety. So, I feel like he can excel at corner or at safety."

 

Why Auburn safety Marlon Character Jr. is working at cornerback this spring

Character was a three-star safety when he signed with Auburn in 2016 but is working at cornerback this spring.

 

Since arriving at Auburn, Character has added 11 pounds, according to Auburn's official roster -- which lists him at 186 pounds after listing him at 175 on National Signing Day in 2016. That, Roberts said, is where he has noticed the biggest difference in Character since he arrived on campus.

It's not the only area he has progressed, however. When asked what it is that stands out about Character, Roberts didn't hesitate as he rattled off a list of characteristics: "Playmaking, speed, great hips, great ability in man coverage. Just really talented in what he does," Roberts said.

Added Roberts: "You can kind of see it. "He's working. You see the size difference and just the mentality of how he takes on practice. Everything he does is always full speed, no laziness. That's kind of what caught my eye."

The results so far have been fruitful for Auburn's secondary as it looks for depth at corner behind Carlton Davis and Javaris Davis -- especially with Jamel Dean and Jayvaughn Myers out this spring while recovering from torn ACLs.

RELATED: Auburn's projected depth chart for Week 2 of spring practice

Rising sophomore receiver Nate Craig-Myers has gone up against Character at times this spring, and the 6-foot-2, 208-pound receiver has been impressed with what he has seen across the field. Deshaun Davis added that during Saturday's practice, Character forced a turnover -- though he couldn't recall if it was an interception or a forced fumble.

"He's playing really confident," Deshaun Davis said. "He redshirted last year, but he has the mindset to come in and help the team. He told us that when we had our first defensive meeting. He's really been doing that."

[lionheartkc 6,150]

This is great to hear, but considering how thin we are at safety, I'm really surprised that they moved him to corner.

[cole256 17,043]

I was very excited about him and Boston, well I'm glad that we still have him

[bigbird 60,498]

1 hour ago, cole256 said:

I was very excited about him and Boston, well I'm glad that we still have him

Just wish he was full time at S

[mcgufcm 4,096]

If he's legit at 6'0" and 185 at CB, I'll roll the dice on finding a fourth Safety this year. I know there are big needs at Safety, and I know CB is an easier position for a young guy to play. Still, true coverage CBs that can make plays on the ball and support the run are some of the hardest things to find in football.

[McLoofus 35,182]

19 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

If he's legit at 6'0" and 185 at CB, I'll roll the dice on finding a fourth Safety this year. I know there are big needs at Safety, and I know CB is an easier position for a young guy to play. Still, true coverage CBs that can make plays on the ball and support the run are some of the hardest things to find in football.

They might even help keep a thin safety corps out of harm's way every now and then. 

[The Plainsman 948]

Our D is going to be so good,. We won't need safety's.   

[doc4aday 1,887]

10 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

This is great to hear, but considering how thin we are at safety, I'm really surprised that they moved him to corner.

I kind of thought the same thing. But after thinking for a bit, I understand his desire to play cornerback and feel like having him playing the position he can excel at, he can better contribute to the team and make game changing plays that he might not have at the safety.

[cole256 17,043]

On 3/9/2017 at 1:06 PM, mcgufcm said:

If he's legit at 6'0" and 185 at CB, I'll roll the dice on finding a fourth Safety this year. I know there are big needs at Safety, and I know CB is an easier position for a young guy to play. Still, true coverage CBs that can make plays on the ball and support the run are some of the hardest things to find in football.

This adds to my frustration with not recruiting woods, I had posted while talking safeties in another thread, we is 6'3"/200 now in high school BEFORE a weight program, and an honor student, and he loves to hit. You would either be getting a thumper at safety or maybe he grows into a tall versatile linebacker that can cover.....and we don't even offer....feel like missing on Zack Cunningham all over again

[Gowebb11 9,314]

Our front seven talent and depth is strong  so our secondary will benefit some from that. I like our top 5 or 6 secondary players, but depth is concerning. The health of Dean and Dinson is key in my opinion. It will be a gift if either Peters or Gonzalez shows up ready to contribute.