Marshall will play wherever the defense needs him
Play cornerback to provide strong perimeter run support against Air Force and its option offense? No problem.
Drop back as a safety to help prevent Houston quarterback Clayton Tune from completing deep passes? Bring it on.
John Marshall is listed as an outside linebacker on the Navy football roster, but the truth is he plays wherever defensive coordinator Brian Newberry needs him. Through three games this season, Marshall has played three different positions and had three separate assignments.
“You can do that with a guy that’s really smart, which John is. He’s got some position flexibility based off his size and athletic ability,” Newberry said. “When you have a smart player like that, you can put a lot on them.”
Marshall started at the hybrid outside linebacker position known as striker during the season opener. He alternated dropping into coverage, stepping up in run support or rushing the passer during the Marshall game and recorded two quarterback hurries.
The 6-foot-2, 204-pound junior played cornerback for the first time in his career against Air Force as Newberry employed what he called “an option package.”
This past Saturday at Houston, Marshall was the key chess piece in a unique 4-2-5 alignment that featured three safeties. He, Kevin Brennan and Taylor Robinson lined up evenly across the field to provide a cordon on the back end.
“We knew Houston had a dynamic pass game and we were trying to contain that as much as possible,” Marshall said. “I think having three safeties definitely helped with keeping everything underneath.”
Marshall excelled in his specialty role against Houston, tying inside linebacker Diego Fagot for the team-high with nine tackles. In addition to playing a pass defense role, he was asked to step up in run support whenever the Cougars called a draw to exploit the unique scheme.
“In a 4-2-5, the striker needs to have the same skill set as the free safety and bandit safety,” Newberry explained. “John does and can play all three of those spots athletically, and he’s smart enough to learn all of them.”
Marshall played some defense as a sophomore at Gonzaga College High but was strictly a wide receiver as a junior and senior. He caught a “Hail Mary” pass as time expired to beat DeMatha in the 2018 Washington Capital Athletic Conference championship game and was named first team All-Metro by The Washington Post.
The Highland resident was switched to
defense after not seeing any varsity action as a plebe and his development was slowed by the fact Navy canceled spring practice in 2020 then held non-contact drills throughout August training camp.
Marshall still emerged as a playmaker as a sophomore, starting nine games and finishing third on the team with 63 tackles. He was effective as a blitzer and notched 5 ½ tackles for loss, second on the squad behind Fagot.
Asked this week what it’s like to be used as the Swiss army knife of the Navy defense, Marshall said he enjoyed the cross-training aspect.
“I think it helps you learn the defense a lot better. It’s a very complex defense and to be able to know the other pieces around you because you’ve played those positions helps,” he said. “If you’re a competitor, you want to be out on the field at whatever position the coach puts you.”
Marshall’s versatility means he spends time in multiple meeting rooms depending on what he’s being asked to do for the upcoming game.
He was in the strikers’ room with assistant Steve Johns before the opener then spent two weeks in Newberry’s meeting room.
Newberry compared Marshall favorably to former Navy player Jake Springer, who played safety as a sophomore then switched to striker and was named second team All-American Athletic Conference as a junior.
After being dismissed from the Naval Academy, Springer transferred to Mississippi and is starting at strong safety this season.
Navy has been recruiting taller, longer safeties with similar versatility for the last three years because it best fits Newberry’s defense. “We want as many of those types of bodies as we can find,” he said.
A true warrior
Fagot arguably had the toughest assignment within Navy’s unique game plan as he was often the lone linebacker on the second level. As such, Fagot was tasked with limiting the damage Houston could on inside running plays.
Fagot was up to the task and finished with nine tackles (two for loss) and a sack. Newberry had high praise for the 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior inside linebacker, who is a two-time All-American Athletic Conference choice.
“I thought Diego may have played his best game since I’ve been here. What we asked him to do in the game plan was very difficult. He had offensive linemen in his lap the entire game, but he fought and battled,” Newberry said. “I thought he played extremely hard and was very physical. He just completely sold out for his teammates.
“I thought Diego was a dog on Saturday and that’s what we need him to be.”
Fagot played every defensive snap against Houston and was still visibly angry and upset during the postgame news conference. That took place moments after the senior captain gave an impassioned speech in the visiting locker room at TDECU Stadium.
Newberry said Fagot is “frustrated” about Navy’s 0-3 record because “he’s a competitor and does not like losing.” He praised the leadership of the Florida native for telling teammates he was proud of their effort.
“Diego left it all out on the field and when you do that and have some blood on your jersey you can stand up in front of the team and say things like that,” Newberry said. “Diego is being the leader we need him to be. He hasn’t flinched.”
Short at free safety
Navy was down to its third-string free safety toward the end of the Houston game. Starter Kevin Brennan tried to play through a hamstring injury but was not himself and left the game after making two tackles.
Eavan Gibbons took over at the position and performed well in his first extensive varsity action, recording four tackles and executing his assignments in coverage.
Gibbons suffered a concussion late in the second half and freshman Rayuan Lane (Gilman) finished out the contest, totaling two tackles.
Newberry said Brennan barely practiced the previous two weeks and was a gametime decision. In hindsight, the senior captain probably should not have played as he was 80-85% healthy.
It appears Brennan will be a game-time decision again Saturday when Navy hosts Central Florida.
“He’s better today than he was at this point last week, so that’s a good sign. It’s going to be a day-to-day deal with him,” Newberry said. “The good thing about Kevin is that he’s been in our system. He can go a week without practicing then go into a game and do the things we need him to do as far as being sharp and executing.”
Although unable to play, Brennan kept his helmet on for the remainder of the game while instructing the younger safeties between defensive possessions. Meanwhile, Newberry was impressed by the play of Gibbons, who was on the scout team just a few weeks ago.
Gibbons missed almost all of spring practice with an ankle injury and was therefore a bit behind. Newberry likes the work ethic and intelligence of the 5-foot-10, 191-pound sophomore, who reminds the defensive coordinator of a “young Kevin Brennan.”
“Gibby kept preparing and when his name was called, he was ready to go. I was really pleased with the way he played,” Newberry said.
Newberry noted that Gibbons needs to change the way he tackles after leading with the helmet too often, a technical mistake that caused the concussion.
“Gibby really flew around and put his face into people. He made some mistakes like you would expect with someone playing their first meaningful snaps,” Newberry said. “Moving forward, he’s a guy that is going to help us a lot.”