The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Moving from the hardwood to the gridiron
09.26.2002 | Football
It's a good thing for the University of Texas that in some parts of the world junior defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs is considered undersized.
Ignore the fact that his teammates tell him he resembles Michael Clarke Duncan, who played the gigantic John Coffey in the movie the Green Mile, or simply forget the concept that Tubbs is 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds. Once you do that, you can understand how Tubbs ended up as a Longhorn.
If Tubbs had one more growth spurt, you would likely see him on the hardwood and not the gridiron. It didn't matter that football was in his bloodlines. His cousin, Winfred, was a former Longhorns linebacker who went on to have a Pro Bowl career in the NFL, but basketball was still his game of choice.
"I always thought of myself as a basketball player," Tubbs said. "Finally, one day I noticed that I wasn't getting a lot taller and all the big guys in college and pro basketball were huge."
The DeSoto High School football coaches were relentless in their pursuit of Tubbs and by his junior year, they finally wore him down. That first year Tubbs spent much of his time learning the game at tight end and watching a veteran starter.
Because of that, by the time the 1998 season began, Tubbs was not listed among most college recruiters' prospect lists. However, when the recruiters made their way to scout out other prospects at DeSoto's practices, all eyes wound up on Tubbs.
"Right away, we noticed Marcus was a big, athletic guy," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "At North Carolina, we had good success with basketball players converting over to play football, so we thought it would be a good idea to take a chance on Marcus. Of course, we didn't know that he would turn into one of the best defensive tackles in the nation."
One reason Brown didn't know Tubbs would be starring on a unit that led the nation in total defense last year, was that he never played a down of football on the defensive side of the ball until he arrived in Austin. He came in with superstar talent surrounding him at the tight end position in the likes of Bo Scaife and Chad Stevens and only an injury to Shaun Rogers necessitated his move to the defensive side of the ball.
"I came in with guys at the tight end position who were All-Americans and considered among the best in the nation," Tubbs said. "I was a guy who was barely all-area, so it was a little intimidating when I arrived here. Then the coaches asked if I would move to defense and I remember being in meetings with guys like Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers thinking to myself 'I'll never be able to do the things they are doing.'"
While redshirting in 1999, Tubbs gained 55 pounds but still maintained his agility and speed. He started three games in his first season, posting 37 tackles and an impressive 5.5 sacks. By his sophomore campaign, Tubbs started in all but one game and was a staple on UT's defense.
"We knew we needed someone on defense because Shaun (Rogers) had an injury and we didn't have a lot of depth," Texas defensive coordinator Carl Reese said. "The offense had a surplus of ends and I really wanted Marcus. Once we got him on our side of the ball, we knew we weren't giving him back."
To this day, Tubbs continues to call on Hampton - currently in his second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers - for advice on how to become a more complete player. The two talk nearly once a week.
"Marcus is a really athletic player," said Hampton, who was a two-time All-American as a Longhorn. "He never really played defensive line until he got to Texas and his athleticism made up for a lot of things he didn't have early on. I'm not surprised about his development at all. As a matter of fact, I'm really hard on him. He thinks I'm too hard on him, but I'm just trying to make him a better player. He's a guy who really works hard and the sky's the limit for him."
Now, as a junior, Tubbs is firmly entrenched on the defensive line and he has become more of a vocal leader. His teammates still rib him about his love for country music and his passion for riding jet skis, but they also know that when he speaks, it's time to listen.
"Marcus isn't the loudest guy on the team," senior quarterback Chris Simms said. "When he talks, though, we know it's important. He's really getting more comfortable with his place on the team this year and his leadership abilities. All of the young guys on the defensive line are going to benefit from having a guy like him around."
Despite the success of his transition to the defensive side of the ball and his emerging role as a leader, Tubbs still has the urge to haul in a pass every once in awhile.
"I mess with Coach (Greg) Davis all the time to put me in on offense," Tubbs said. "My routes wouldn't be fast, but my cuts would be real good. Plus, I have really nice hands."
As Coach Reese said, however, they don't plan on giving him back.
