Izzy Marshall sacrificed his body in an attempt to impress the new coaching staff at Arizona State and it will end up costing the Mountain Pointe product his redshirt freshmen season.
Marshall, who was on the sidelines of Mountain Pointe’s 56-7 win over Mesa last Friday night, said he has a small fracture in his lower back and a spine specialist recommended he shut down for three to four months, all but ending his season before it even began.
“It’s a setback but nothing too big,” Marshall said. “The coaches like what I’ve been doing. I’ll be OK.”
Marshall, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound linebacker, dislocated one of his shoulders and still played on it during spring ball. While compensating for the injury, he put undue pressure on his back, which led to a hairline stress fracture.
He was listed third on the depth chart before the start of preseason camp, but is no longer listed.
“This has been going on since a little before spring and it just got worse,” Marshall said. “I dislocated my shoulder and kept playing on it. It was pride and wanting to sacrifice for the team. I kept playing on it until I got an MRI.
“They said I need to sit down so that’s what I am doing. I just have to come back strong.”
Because Marshall redshirted as a true freshman, this year will count against his years of eligibility. On rare occasions, players are awarded a sixth year of eligibility because of a medical hardship, but as long as Marshall is healthy the rest of his career he probably wouldn’t be eligible.
• Jason P. Skoda, (480) 898-7915 or jskoda@ahwatukee.com
