Chris Marshall was once a five-star receiver with offers from every school in the country. He was one of the top recruits in the entire 2022 class and seemed destined for immediate stardom.
Then he got into some trouble and was booted from two SEC schools in a span of six months. His only option to keep playing the game he loved was to enroll at Kilgore Junior College.
He had hit rock bottom.
“That was the lowest of lows for him,” his mother Dana Rowe-Marshall said.
But Marshall somehow got his life back on track. He became a father and realized what came with that. He had his wake up call. Things had to change.
Then he found Spencer Danielson and Boise State – and it may have saved more than just his football career.
“The biggest word – put it in bold, italics, underline – is grateful ,” Rowe-Marshall said. “Coach D came through for my son at a time when he really needed it.”
Marshall arrived at Boise State with a short leash. But he’s passed every test and is set to make his debut with the Broncos on Saturday in the season opener at Georgia Southern.
Boise State has a deep and talented wide receiver group, but Marshall appears to have done enough to earn himself a role on the field.
It’s shaping up to be a pretty cool story – but one that is not even close to finished.
“I’ve made a lot of changes,” Marshall said. “This is my last chance. I’m trying to take advantage of every opportunity and every moment and not take anything for granted because I know it could be wiped away in seconds.”
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Marshall had 11 catches for 108 yards in three games as a true freshman at Texas A&M in 2022.
But he was suspended for a game against Miami early in the season for a violation of team rules and then suspended indefinitely again later in the year.
He was asked to leave the team following the season and entered the transfer portal.
Despite rumors, reports and negative narrative that followed on social media, Marshall’s mom said his problems had nothing to do with violence, weapons or domestic abuse.
Instead he did something many young kids have done: he smoked weed.
Ole Miss gave him another chance, and he committed on Christmas Day.
And things were going pretty well there in the spring.
“The Ole Miss situation was a good situation for him,” Rowe-Marshall said. “The semester was over and he finished the semester with almost a 4.0 GPA and then he’s on his way home in the car for summer break.”
Marshall was stopped by police for speeding while driving home from Oxford, Mississippi, to his home in Houston, Texas, which ultimately led to being dismissed from Ole Miss. He was left with another brutal blow and not many answers for his future.
“I think those were wake-ups calls for him. It was letting him know that he was too close to a side that he shouldn’t have been on – period.”
Removed from two SEC schools in a span of barely six months and at a crossroads in his life, the once untouchable recruit with the brightest of futures was left to enroll at Kilgore Junior College in Texas to rebuild his life – and his football career.
“It was very humbling to not give up and go to JUCO and put my pride to the side and take a lot of classes there to be able to try and get back to where I know I can play and showcase my talents,” Marshall said. “Just to put my pride to the side and try to go get it and really change and change my life and switch different things around, that was a big change for me.”
Said his mom: “Attending JUCO was something he never saw for himself and honestly it was something we never saw for him because of where he was. But it was honestly one of the best things for him because it allowed him to reset and allowed him to prepare for a school like Boise and to get around people who didn’t judge him for his past mistakes.”
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Chris Marshall with son Kairo on the day he was born on Nov. 29th, 2023.. (Contributed photo)
The experience at Kilgore with coach Willie Gooden helped him. Becoming a father changed him.
That came when his son Kairo Marshall was born on November 29th of last year.
“Becoming a father, it made him really redirect his energy and redirect his thought process and understanding that someone is counting on him now,” Rowe-Marshall said. “I think that shifted his focus tremendously. Immediately after his son Kairo was born, I saw his whole mental process begin to change and his focus begin to shift.
“He’s still growing as anybody is at 20 years old, but I’ve really seen a maturity begin to take place with him and he’s accepting his mistakes and what happened and understanding the lessons he has learned from them.”
Nine-month-old Kairo lives in Houston with Marshall’s girlfriend. He doesn’t get to see his son a ton these days, but they Facetime as often as possible. And his family is what fuels him each day to not screw this up.
“There’s a lot of motivation now, knowing you aren’t just playing for yourself,” Marshall said. “That’s a big motivation. Everything I do now and going out and competing knowing I’m not just out here for myself now. I have a real why, now. And that’s my why.”
Boise State wide receiver Chris Marshall holds his son Kairo. (Contributed photo)
Armed with past failures, hard lessons and a new outlook on life, Marshall turned things around in hope of still reaching his potential and living out his dream of playing college football.
“There’s a lot of different changes in my life but it’s making me a better person and a better man,” Marshall said.
Those changes included meeting Danielson and moving to Boise.
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Marshall wanted one more shot. He just needed a coach and school to give it to him.
Danielson, who is not shy about his faith and sharing it with his players, turned out to be just what the Marshall family was looking for.
“Boise State was never a school we thought he’d attend. It was never even win the radar,” Rowe-Marshall said. “But then we spoke with Coach D and coach Miller and it was God’s plan.
“Boise has been very welcoming and receptive of his past and not just his football game and knowing he was a growing young man and he’s matured from everything that was the narrative about him before he got there. And for that I appreciate them.”
Marshall needed an opportunity. And Danielson wanted to be the one to help get him turned around. The match was perfect.
But the runway was short. One mistake and he’d be gone. Danielson promised Marshall nothing beyond the spring semester. He had to earn the chance to stick around with the team this fall.
He did just that – and in impressive fashion.
“Since Chris has been here he’s worked his tail off to do that every single day,” Danielson said. “He’s done a great job in the classroom. He’s done a great job with the things that are mandatory to be a part of this program.
“He knows this is his shot and he’s got to make every opportunity count and he’s done that. He’s learned through pain and he’s learned through the regrets of the past. He’s changed who he is.”
His academics are also on track. He’s in an Interdisciplinary Studies program at Boise State which is tailored towards what he hopes to one day become – a coach. It’s a mix of leadership, professional wellness and sports.
“I am an educator so I am really big with that, so that was a blessing, too,” Rowe-Marshall said. “Everything has just been really smooth in Boise to say the least with him being so far from us.”
The Marshall family didn’t want promises of playing time or NIL money while searching for the right fit for Chris. And they didn’t get that from Danielson and Boise State. But Marshall-Rowe and his father George Marshall heard what they needed to on their visit to Boise.
“It was more just Coach D telling me about changing my life, that was the biggest thing for me coming here,” Marshall said. “Just really being able to change my life and change what I’ve been through, going to church more and things like that. It was big for me and my family.”
And he wouldn’t be where he is – eight months at the same school and on the cusp of taking the field on Saturday – without Danielson. And he won’t forget it.
“He’s like another father figure for me in Boise,” Marshall said. “Showing me the right way to live and the right way to attack every day. … It was easy with Coach D always preaching to me and telling me different stuff.
“He’s a great head coach, somebody who comes in and tells you he loves you every day and it makes you want to do anything for him and never let him down.”
Regardless of what happens on the field moving forward, Rowe-Marshall knows her son is in the right place. He’s where he needs to be – and she knew it from the second she got to town.
“When we left him there at Boise State, I left there with a peace that I didn’t have leaving him at any other campus,” Rowe-Marshall said.
The biggest reason? Danielson.
“I love him,” Rowe-Marshall said. “There’s been times where the communication between those two has not been like any other communication he’s ever had with a head coach.
“We’ve had great relationships with his coaches. Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin – I have nothing bad to say about them because they gave my son an opportunity. But the relationship he has with Coach D is something special. It’s a God thing. That’s all I can say.”
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Marshall pauses for a second as he reflects back on the past few years.
“It’s been a roller coaster, that’s the only way I can put it,” Marshall said. “It’s been a roller coaster, but I’m learning from my mistakes and not making those same mistakes again. Knowing I have to take advantage of every opportunity here. Nothing is given, everything is earned. That’s the big thing that coach D has brought into my life. It’s making me work hard to be a better man, better player and better teammate.”
Rowe-Marshall also needs a moment to collect her thoughts. She uses a similar analogy.
“The last couple years have been an emotional roller coaster for me as a mom,” Rowe-Marshall said. “Seeing him go from an 18-year-old young man or to me, still my baby, and growing into a 20-year-old man, I’ve seen so much maturity in the last two years. I’ve seen him grow from some mistakes and from some added extra pressures that were coming in from outside forces.
“He didn’t know how to manage that properly as most children don’t. In some places he showed up as a household name and it wasn’t something he was used to. He didn’t realize what all came along with that and the responsibilities that came with that.”
He does now.
Marshall has succeeded in all facets since he arrived in Boise, both on the field and off. He’s showing the potential which had some already projecting him as an NFL receiver while still in high school. He’s been a good teammate, and more importantly, has stayed out of trouble.
To this point, he’s checked every box.
“He’s an extremely talented young man in all phases,” Danielson said. “I’m proud of where he’s going and I know he’s only going to continue to get better week to week.”
Marshall credits teammates such as Austin Bolt, Latrell Caples and Cam Camper as big influences on him since he arrived on campus.
The culture of Boise State Football has helped Marshall thrive.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Marshall said. “I dreamed of playing football my whole life. This is very important to me. I won’t take anything for granted and I know I can’t take it for granted because I know it could be wiped away at any second.
“I feel very much at home here. I’m embracing the team with open arms and they’ve embraced me with open arms. I’m loving it.”
Rowe-Marshall prayed they’d get back to this point – her son back on track and ready to play football on national TV again. And that makes her even more grateful.
“I’m just tremendously proud of him,” Rowe-Marshall said. “I’ve seen my son grow. I’ve seen and watched him go through some things that may not always be right, but these last eight months and being at Boise State and being so far away from him and having to grow on his own and having to trust God on his own and depend on people that he didn’t know…it’s indescribable.”
Marshall hasn’t forgotten where he came from, either. And he won’t on Saturday.
“Coming out of the locker room at Georgia Southern I might shed a tear, because I know where I’ve been and I know the work I’ve put in,” Marshall said. “The changes I’ve made and now just being free and being able to play ball, it’s been something I’ve always wanted to do and something I’ve not had the opportunity to do. I’m just really excited to go play ball.”
He won’t be the only one in Statesboro getting emotional. His mom and family plan to make the trip to see this moment with their own eyes.
When No. 5 runs out of the Boise State tunnel, a remarkable story will reach a new chapter.
“I’m going to be in tears because I’m an emotional person and to see that, I’ll definitely be emotional,” Rowe-Marshall said. “When I tell you proud, grateful, thankful – the praise I have in my heart for this moment coming this week, I can’t even put it into words.
“This has been a long time coming and l’ll this, and I truly mean it, regardless of how many reps or plays he gets, because my son gets to do what he loves, right now, after everything he’s been through the last two years, blessed. That’s what I’ll say. We’re all blessed.”
