Marcus Sherels will be a junior next season for the Gopher football team. A walk-on from Rochester John Marshall, he will be given a scholarship as soon as possible, according to Gopher coach Tim Brewster who said Marcus is doing a “magnificent job.” His brother Mike, who was a starting senior linebacker for the Gophers last season, isn’t surprised. “Every time he’s given a chance to succeed, he succeeds,” Mike told Sports Headliners.
Marcus played in nine games last season, catching three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver. He had his only career start against Wisconsin. He also averaged 21.4 yards on 17 kickoff returns and returned one punt for seven yards.
During spring practice Marcus was moved to corner back where he was a starter in the annual intra-squad game. He was impressive as a cornerback and returned two kickoffs for 93 yards and one punt 21 yards.
The spring performance didn’t surprise Mike who said the “sky’s the limit” and his brother can be a “great player in the Big Ten.” Marcus was an exceptional cornerback in high school, Mike said, but didn’t have the opportunity to play the position with the Gophers until this spring.
Mike’s evaluation is that Marcus needs to work on his back pedaling to become a better cornerback. At 5-11, 165 can he be an effective tackler? No problem, according to big brother Mike who said Marcus “packs a punch” and describes physical tackling as a “family trait.”
Certainly Marcus will have an opportunity to be a starter next season since the Gophers are searching for talent and experience in a secondary that was among the worst in the country last season. “I fully expect him to start,” Mike said.
Mike is hoping to develop from a free agent to a permanent place on the Vikings’ roster as a special teams player and linebacker. Right now he has no plans to play Canadian football, instead trying to make the home town team.