It was 9:00 in the morning in Atlanta, Georgia for the 3rd Annual HBCU Bowl, and there was a repetitive “BOOMING” sound in the background. When the scouts and players looked over, they saw a 6’1, 192 pound, punter booming kicks in the air. When scouts looked over they seemed surprised to see a young African American man kicking the ball so high. It was almost instantaneous, when you looked at the NFL scouts they all began reaching for their stop clocks.
The next BOOM came with something special it was an electrifying 80 yard punt, which registered a 5.3 hang time on some scouts watches. It seemed that at this moment, young Marquette King of Fort Valley State, had begun showing the NFL scouts that he had what it takes to be in the next level.
Marquette King is a very soft spoken young man from Macon, Georgia. Marquette is a family man, a person that was raised by both his mother and father and has a little sister, who attends the University of Georgia. Marquette played high school football for Rutland High School where he was the Placekicker, Punter and Wide Receiver. Marquette was named Special Teams player of the year his senior season but that still didn’t get the looks he was hoping for. The biggest problem was that Marquette was a Punter, and we all know Punters and Kickers are never given any love. Marquette decided that Fort Valley State was a good decision for him and decided to stay close to home and play for Fort Valley State.
“I never thought that by going to Fort Valley State, I would be getting talked about in the same conversation with the NFL, but I am glad that God has made it possible for me.”
Marquette left his high school and was set to attend Fort Valley State. In the spring he found out that he would be redshirted his freshman year. King would have to wait to get his turn, and he had no problem with that. “I just kept working out, and was waiting for my opportunity to shine”, said the very humble King. It wouldn’t take long for King to get into the grind of things. King had a decent freshman year where he took over punting duties in week 5. He finished out the season with a very good 41 yard average per punt on 20+ punts.
In 2009, Marquette would be at it again, this time as a sophomore he would excel but more on situational punts then the big booming kicks. King won All Conference his Sophomore Year at Fort Valley State averaging 39 yards a punt and helping the Wildcats finish the season with a very good 7-3 record.
“I really felt like I was getting better and stronger by my sophomore season and I was able to get better hang time on my kicks.”
The junior year for Marquette would prove interesting, King felt that it was an off year, but he still averaged 39 yards a punt and was able to keep that same statistic in net yards. He finished the season ranked as the 4th best in Division 2, earning him the looks of great kickers around the world. In 2010, Marquette was noticed by Kohl’s Kicking Camp and was invited to attend their Elite Kicking Camp in Wisconsin. Marquette was so excited to get his opportunity to punt with some of the great punters that had come out of the Kohl’s camp such as Thomas Morstead of the New Orleans Saints.
“It was my first time going to Kohl’s and it was the best experience, I was able to meet and kick with some of the best punters in the game, I felt so lucky to get a chance to punt with them.”
Marquette’s senior year was about to start, and although the team was off to a rough start, Marquette was doing something that no Division 2 player had done. While facing Bethune-Cookman, Marquette blasted an 80 yard missile that went along with his 76 yard detonation that he had showcased against Clark Atlanta. Marquette finished the season with 60 punt’s and 2500 plus yards in punts. He averaged 43.3 yards per punt and was 13 in the entire nation in net yardage.
“My hang time was very good this year. I would communicate with my gunner, and let him know where I was going to place the ball. We did very well covering punts on Special Teams this year, there a great group of guys.”
King isn’t a punter that can just punt it once or twice for 70 plus yards, he can do it on a regular. His leg strength is so amazing and his kicks are so pretty, they roll off his foot and look like a spiral in the air, after they touch cloud 9 they begin to sail down, in a spiral motion, which is a rarity. This kid’s kicks are the prettiest looking kick I have seen in a few years since Pat McAfee of West Virginia who is also a member of the Kohl’s kicking family. Marquette said he was able to talk with Darrell Green the HOF Cornerback and father of WR Jared Green who were both performing at the HBCU All Star Game.
“‘You remind me of Reggie Roby [former Miami punter], you have a really good leg’, [Darrell Green] said to me. That really made my day.”
Usually you won’t sit and read an article on a punter, or kicker for that matter, but being a former kicker myself, it wouldn’t be right to not showcase a fellow comrade. Although a punter might not be a position of priority for some, the special teams are one of the three phases in a football game you have to win to be successful, and with an 80 yard punt in the fourth quarter, King might just be the guy that helps a poor team become a very successful team. He has already been invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the Florida Bowl and is hoping to impress NFL scouts. So maybe, just maybe he will get his shot at being the next “Reggie Roby.”
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