An injury ended up sidelining Keith Marshall for more than half of the 2013 season. A handful of months later, it’s looking as if a coach’s decision will determine whether he misses all of the 2014 season as well.
According to Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph, Georgia has not ruled out having Marshall use a redshirt this season. That possibility was raised by offensive coordinator late last year,m and it was something that another of Mark Richt‘s assistants hinted around this week.
“Right now the plan is to see how far along he is, and then do what’s going to be best for him,” running backs coach Bryan McClendon said according to the Telegraph. “That’s going to be priority No. 1. To do what’s best for him. And that way, I think everybody will be able to sleep good at night.”
Marshall went down with a torn ACL in early October. He has been participating in spring practice, doing drills with other running backs even as he’s still in non-contact mode six months removed from the injury.
With Todd Gurley expected to be 100-percent healthy -- he started the spring limited -- after his own injury issues in 2013, the wise course of action could be to very much err on the side of caution when it comes to Marshall. More than likely, Gurley, considered one of the top backs in the country, will opt to become an early entrant in the 2015 NFL draft. Should Marshall opt for a redshirt, he’d still have two full seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in 2015.
Prior to his injury, Marshall was the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher with 246 yards.