After Maryland welcomed its first batch of visitors to begin official visit season, the Terps have now added their third portal commitment of the spring after former Oklahoma kicker Gavin Marshall flipped his commitment from Vanderbilt to Maryland following his official visit to College Park.
Marshall, a 6-foot-1, 193-pound kicker, gave his commitment to the staff on May 31 as he wrapped up his official visit while Kentucky was among the schools showing strong interest in the portal. He entered the transfer portal on March 13 after playing in two games in 2023, recording two made PATs and Arkansas State and a touchback against Tulsa. He’s expected to arrive in College Park around June 15.
Marshall’s interest in Maryland began when outside linebacker and special teams assistant James Thomas made the trip to Texas to see the former Oklahoma kicker in-person. After 48 hours in College Park, Maryland finalized the flip to bolster its special teams.
“Coming from Texas I’ve never been to the part of the country at all and I was blown away by it,” Marshall told IBG. “The facilities were incredible. The coaching staff was great. The culture is amazing with coach [Mike] Locksley. And coach Ryan Davis and coach JT were awesome so just meeting everybody. And I got a chance to spend a decent amount of time with coach [Kevin] Sumlin, which was pretty cool.”
Marshall’s connection to Maryland dates back to high school when he moved from Frisco (TX) to IMG Academy (FL) for his senior season where he went on to set a program record for the two longest field goals, along with the most points scored in a single season. With offers from Arizona State, Air Force and West Point along with walk-on spot at Florida State, Marshall opted to stick with his initial pledge to the Sooners out of high school despite then-new USC head coach Lincoln Riley working to bring him west.
The Texas native joins the program with a chance to become the Terps’ starting kicker in 2024 as Marshall will compete with redshirt junior Jack Howes, who started all 13 games for Maryland and finished 13-of-19 on field goal attempts in 2023.
Marshall joins former Notre Dame punter Bryce McFerson as the second incoming specialist following spring ball as the Terps get a chance to upgrade its special teams, a focus for Maryland through the offseason. Maryland also made the offensive line a priority this offseason as former Rutgers and Buffalo lineman Isaiah Wright announced his commitment earlier this month before joining the team last week.
Marshall has four years of eligibility remaining.
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