Position Change Looming for This UCLA Wide Receiver?
UCLA's secondary at this point -- particularly at corner -- is a bit thin.
Jaylin Davies and John Humphrey appear to be the starters at this point. Devin Kirkwood is entrenched as the third option, and Alex Johnson is without a doubt the team's starting nickel.
From there, things get a bit dicey. Croix Stewart is a player with fantastic athleticism and upside. However, he's still only a redshirt freshman. We've seen true freshman walk-on Kanye Clark work with the team, and D.J. Justice -- son of former MLB star David -- positioned at both corner and nickel.
Courtesy of Rivals.com journalist Tracy McDannald, we may have gotten some more insight into a potentially new option at the spot.
Former 4-star recruit Jadyn Marshall has seemingly made the move over from wide receiver to defensive back. This is via McDannald's footage, which shows Marshall working with the corners and cornerback coach Kodi Whitfield.
The redshirt freshman out of Northern California has mostly been used as a kick returner. A nationally-ranked hurdler coming out of high school, Marshall was ranked as the No. 12 player in the entire state of California. UCLA was able to garner a commitment from the talented athlete over offers from USC, Auburn, Oregon, and Tennessee.
Marshall also currently participates on UCLA's track team as one of its fastest athletes. While there's considerable upside as a football player, he's been somewhat buried underneath UCLA's deep depth chart at receiver.
When looking at Marshall's skill set along with his build (6-foot-1, 187 pounds), he seems like an ideal fit for the corner position. Having played it a bit in high school, it won't be totally foreign to him. In the process, UCLA gets more speed and quickness at corner, along with more depth at the position.
The Bruins are surely hoping Marshall can become the next Fabian Moreau. A multi-year NFL player, Moreau initially came to UCLA as a skill player before transitioning over to corner.
