Football: Keelan Marion Poised for Breakout Season
Keelan Marion emerged last season as the lone bright spot for the UConn Huskies receiving corps. As a true freshman, Marion led the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (474), yards per reception (16.9), and touchdowns (5). The more impressive fact was that he did this playing with four different quarterbacks. Marion was a two-star recruit from Palmetto Prep school and Grayson High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. He received six scholarship offers, including one from Florida Atlantic, but chose to go with UConn. After an impressive freshman year, Marion is looking to carry this momentum into 2022.
He now checks in at 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds. That is nearly 20 pounds heavier than he was when he arrived as a freshman. It is quite obvious that Marion has put in the work this season to be even more competitive for the upcoming season, bulking up to help play to his strengths. Take a look at what it is that Marion thrives at.
How He Won as a Freshman
Marion’s best trait is his ability to win in contested catch situations. He does a great job high-pointing 50-50 balls and has strong hands at the catch point. Marion makes very good adjustments to poorly thrown footballs. Watch in this clip, he beats the defender deep though comes back to the football as it is underthrown, making an incredibly tough catch for the touchdown.
Keelan says GIVE ME THAT!
— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) October 3, 2021
Krajewski to Marion gets this back to a one-point game. pic.twitter.com/Ti95Tt6jIV
Marion is also quite elusive in the open field. He has good lateral agility and quick change of direction to make defenders miss after the catch. His speed is elite, and he is good enough to be a consistent deep threat. Marion needs to work a bit on his release at the line of scrimmage to create early separation, though his ability to win the contested catch situations nullifies that a bit. His route-running could use some refinement to create better separation.
2022 Outlook
Marion is slated to be a starter once again as he was easily the team’s top receiving threat in 2021. The Huskies offensive scheme should change this season with the new coaching staff in place. UConn has also added a trio of new quarterbacks to compete for the starting quarterback job. They have three quarterbacks on their roster that were 3-star recruits or better. Marion will be the unequivocal No. 1 receiver, barring any other high-level recruits that join the team this offseason. Even so, I think Marion has earned the right to be a starter with the team after his stellar freshman campaign, and his obvious work put in this offseason bulking up.
UConn’s schedule for 2022 is littered with upper-level talent. The Huskies are set to have Michigan, Utah State, Syracuse, North Carolina State, Fresno State and Boston College all on the docket. This could mean that the Huskies will be in potential shootouts looking to keep up with these other schools, adding more potential opportunities for Marion. With a better offense, better quarterback play, and an incredibly difficult schedule, Marion could be in for a breakout year for UConn.
