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/ Football
Remember the Name
September 02, 2017 | Football, Features
Junior cornerback and AP Preseason All-American Iman Marshall hopes to go down as one of the greats in Trojan history.
By Katie Ryan
Assistant Sports Information Director
"They know my name but they don't know my story…"
Â
USC junior cornerback Iman Marshall, more commonly known as "Biggie", posted the above on Twitter recently.
This "story" that he refers to involves a lot of firsts. First place is somewhere that this young man feels comfortable. Whether that is entering USC as the first player named on ESPN's 2015 list of top high school cornerbacks, or as the first member of his family to go to college, Marshall credits hard work and determination as reasons why he is successful on and off the football field.
"I grew up in a low-income family," said Marshall, who prepped at hometown Long Beach Poly and is now a political science major. "Nothing in my life was ever given to me. I had to work hard for it. I'm the first in my family to go to college, and the first to even graduate high school among my brothers and sisters. Those were big accomplishments for me."
Although he had accomplished many personal goals, Marshall's desire for more was insatiable. Before announcing where he would play college ball, he was presented with an opportunity that would revolutionize the way high school football players announce their college commitments.
Bleacher Report had approached Marshall about the idea of creating a video to announce where he would attend college. As one of the top recruited players in the country, this five-star athlete had five major programs anxiously waiting to find out if he would join their team in the fall.
"We started approaching some of the top uncommitted players in the country and Biggie was one of the first we contacted about announcing through a commitment video," said former Bleacher Report Senior Producer Hunter Mandel. "At the time, Biggie was one of the nation's top high school athletes, and it was a no-brainer to have our first video star someone of his caliber. Biggie was immediately interested in the idea and we began brainstorming different ways to announce on National Signing Day."
Marshall loved the idea of being able to showcase his personality in what was thus far the most important decision of his life. This was a huge opportunity to create another first for not only himself, but also for all of college football.
"Being a pioneer of something like that is remarkable," he said. "It's crazy because at that moment in time, I didn't think it would become so big and have that large of an effect around the nation. I didn't want to do the same thing everyone else did. I wanted to create something that had never been done before."
The video was simple. It depicted Marshall in various Los Angeles locations like the Santa Monica Pier, the Grove and Hollywood, overlaid with a soft beat and voiceovers from Marshall about his thoughts on where he should go to school. The video ended with him at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum wearing a USC hat saying "Fight On, SC."
"From the beginning, Biggie said he 'wanted to change the game' ", said Mandel. "It was the first time anyone did something like this so we knew it was going to gain a ton of awareness across the country. Everyone associates the hat ceremony with the standard practice for announcing a commitment. We wanted Biggie, his family and friends to have a moment they could always remember and hold onto for the rest of their lives. Biggie was the trendsetter."
Marshall's video changed the landscape and opened a new market for high school football players. Today, outlandish announcement videos of skydiving, movie spoofs and snowboard racing have become common practice in the wake of Marshall's first-of-its kind announcement.
Marshall's decision to join the Trojan squad fell almost poetically into his story. USC was still suffering the implications of the NCAA sanctions, but Marshall didn't see it as an obstruction to his vision; he saw it as an opportunity.Â
"Coming here, you're not playing for the name on your back," Marshall said. "There is no name on your back. You are playing for the name across your chest, the emblem on the side of your helmet and the legacy that those before us created in that Coliseum. You are playing for the greatness that USC represents, and you are playing to create something special."
He is doing just that. As a veteran member of the 2017 Trojans and an AP Preseason All-American second teamer, he figures to be an integral part to what the Trojans hope will be a season to remember. With the initial goal of winning the Pac-12 South and eventually the Pac-12 Championship, a strong secondary is key to success in the conference race. He wants to be a part of the first Trojan football team to bring home the Pac-12 Trophy.
Marshall, already with 25 career starts, is not short on motivation. Taking a quick glance through his Twitter account, you find the following quotes:
* "Strive to be the best…but there's always room for improvement."
* "If you're not making moves, you'll be standing in the same spot as everyone else."
* "Work ethic breeds confidence."
"Those are words to help me drive myself," he said. "I always remind myself that I want to be great. Not just on the football field, but in life in general. Those motivational words are meant to remind myself that I need to continue to get better. I hope those words push others to do the same."
These daily reminders will help the 2016 Campus Insiders Sophomore All-American honorable mention pick and All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection build on the foundation he has set during his first two years at Troy. Entering his junior year, Marshall has tallied 118 tackles, including three for losses, plus 17 deflections and six interceptions.
In the 2016 season, Marshall's name was immortalized in Trojan lore after being a member of the first post-sanction USC team to win the Rose Bowl, which included his third interception of the season.
"It's been a really cool story to be able to tell," he said. "It's a story of never giving up. Keep grinding and everything will come out in the end. That's what you've seen over these last couple of years. We worked from the ground up to become Rose Bowl champions. You see the upward trajectory of the program."
As the Trojans begin their 2017 campaign, Marshall plans to continue to add more firsts to his story.
"When I committed here, I said before I leave, we are going to go to the National Championship. I remember telling my dad that," he said. "I feel like we have the right team, the right staff and the right people surrounding this team right now to have the possibility to do it this year. That's why I came here, to create something special. To leave that legacy. To be the first."
Assistant Sports Information Director
"They know my name but they don't know my story…"
Â
USC junior cornerback Iman Marshall, more commonly known as "Biggie", posted the above on Twitter recently.
This "story" that he refers to involves a lot of firsts. First place is somewhere that this young man feels comfortable. Whether that is entering USC as the first player named on ESPN's 2015 list of top high school cornerbacks, or as the first member of his family to go to college, Marshall credits hard work and determination as reasons why he is successful on and off the football field.
"I grew up in a low-income family," said Marshall, who prepped at hometown Long Beach Poly and is now a political science major. "Nothing in my life was ever given to me. I had to work hard for it. I'm the first in my family to go to college, and the first to even graduate high school among my brothers and sisters. Those were big accomplishments for me."
Although he had accomplished many personal goals, Marshall's desire for more was insatiable. Before announcing where he would play college ball, he was presented with an opportunity that would revolutionize the way high school football players announce their college commitments.
Bleacher Report had approached Marshall about the idea of creating a video to announce where he would attend college. As one of the top recruited players in the country, this five-star athlete had five major programs anxiously waiting to find out if he would join their team in the fall.
"We started approaching some of the top uncommitted players in the country and Biggie was one of the first we contacted about announcing through a commitment video," said former Bleacher Report Senior Producer Hunter Mandel. "At the time, Biggie was one of the nation's top high school athletes, and it was a no-brainer to have our first video star someone of his caliber. Biggie was immediately interested in the idea and we began brainstorming different ways to announce on National Signing Day."
Marshall loved the idea of being able to showcase his personality in what was thus far the most important decision of his life. This was a huge opportunity to create another first for not only himself, but also for all of college football.
"Being a pioneer of something like that is remarkable," he said. "It's crazy because at that moment in time, I didn't think it would become so big and have that large of an effect around the nation. I didn't want to do the same thing everyone else did. I wanted to create something that had never been done before."
The video was simple. It depicted Marshall in various Los Angeles locations like the Santa Monica Pier, the Grove and Hollywood, overlaid with a soft beat and voiceovers from Marshall about his thoughts on where he should go to school. The video ended with him at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum wearing a USC hat saying "Fight On, SC."
"From the beginning, Biggie said he 'wanted to change the game' ", said Mandel. "It was the first time anyone did something like this so we knew it was going to gain a ton of awareness across the country. Everyone associates the hat ceremony with the standard practice for announcing a commitment. We wanted Biggie, his family and friends to have a moment they could always remember and hold onto for the rest of their lives. Biggie was the trendsetter."
Marshall's video changed the landscape and opened a new market for high school football players. Today, outlandish announcement videos of skydiving, movie spoofs and snowboard racing have become common practice in the wake of Marshall's first-of-its kind announcement.
Marshall's decision to join the Trojan squad fell almost poetically into his story. USC was still suffering the implications of the NCAA sanctions, but Marshall didn't see it as an obstruction to his vision; he saw it as an opportunity.Â
"Coming here, you're not playing for the name on your back," Marshall said. "There is no name on your back. You are playing for the name across your chest, the emblem on the side of your helmet and the legacy that those before us created in that Coliseum. You are playing for the greatness that USC represents, and you are playing to create something special."
He is doing just that. As a veteran member of the 2017 Trojans and an AP Preseason All-American second teamer, he figures to be an integral part to what the Trojans hope will be a season to remember. With the initial goal of winning the Pac-12 South and eventually the Pac-12 Championship, a strong secondary is key to success in the conference race. He wants to be a part of the first Trojan football team to bring home the Pac-12 Trophy.
Marshall, already with 25 career starts, is not short on motivation. Taking a quick glance through his Twitter account, you find the following quotes:
* "Strive to be the best…but there's always room for improvement."
* "If you're not making moves, you'll be standing in the same spot as everyone else."
* "Work ethic breeds confidence."
"Those are words to help me drive myself," he said. "I always remind myself that I want to be great. Not just on the football field, but in life in general. Those motivational words are meant to remind myself that I need to continue to get better. I hope those words push others to do the same."
These daily reminders will help the 2016 Campus Insiders Sophomore All-American honorable mention pick and All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection build on the foundation he has set during his first two years at Troy. Entering his junior year, Marshall has tallied 118 tackles, including three for losses, plus 17 deflections and six interceptions.
In the 2016 season, Marshall's name was immortalized in Trojan lore after being a member of the first post-sanction USC team to win the Rose Bowl, which included his third interception of the season.
"It's been a really cool story to be able to tell," he said. "It's a story of never giving up. Keep grinding and everything will come out in the end. That's what you've seen over these last couple of years. We worked from the ground up to become Rose Bowl champions. You see the upward trajectory of the program."
As the Trojans begin their 2017 campaign, Marshall plans to continue to add more firsts to his story.
"When I committed here, I said before I leave, we are going to go to the National Championship. I remember telling my dad that," he said. "I feel like we have the right team, the right staff and the right people surrounding this team right now to have the possibility to do it this year. That's why I came here, to create something special. To leave that legacy. To be the first."
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