AJ Marks
AJ Marks
- National
- WL
About AJ
Expert Analysis
Oliver West | Prep Redzone Scout
Transferred from: Orchard Lake-St. Mary’s High School (Orchard Lake, Michigan) to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
The first of a handful of Michigan born-and-bred prospects to head south to the powerhouse that is IMG Academy, DB AJ Marks AJ Marks 5'8" | 140 lbs | DB Orchard Lake St Mary's | 2026 MI is a fantastic DB prospect out of the 2026 class whose recruiting attention and prowess are missed in The Mitten, despite the state being a heavyweight recruiting area in America’s Heartland. National prospects are always missed, and Marks was developing into one since his freshman year at Orchard Lake-St. Mary’s High School in the suburbs of Pontiac, Michigan. His freshman campaign with OLSM earned the 5’10, 150 lb. DB 14 D1 offers, First Team All-Region, Dream Team Honorable Mention honors on the gridiron, as well as earning New Balance All-American honors during indoor track season and placing in the state (D2) in the 200M and 100M. However, in July of 2023, a month before his sophomore season was set to kick off, Marks announced on Twitter that he was transferring to IMG Academy in the Sunshine State to compete in both football and track and field. Since then, Marks has earned offers from Florida A&M, Western Illinois, and Tennessee, and has established himself as one of the best DBs on IMG’s talent-heavy roster, not to mention in the state of Florida overall.
Playing with the vaunted IMG Nation Team and seeing action at CB, FS, and nickel, Marks posted 54 tackles (30 solo), 20 PBUs, 2 INTs, and allowed only 12 catches on over 500 snaps in 2023, including a five-game stretch without allowing a catch. Also helped out in the return game and didn’t allow a single TD catch in 2023 as a sophomore. The foundation of his skillset is speed, speed, and more speed, and he’s a playmaker with the ball in his hands and has the top-end speed to stay in-phase with nationally-renowned WRs and top-tier competition. Super sticky in coverage, Marks displays quick and fluid COD skills, loose hips, and great ball skills that help him play aggressively at the catch point. Marks snagged a crazy one-handed INT in the opening clips of his sophomore tape, and is a slippery and twitchy ball carrier who can get up to top speed quickly, which helped him operate as an explosive and electric returner who was a nightmare for opposing kickoff coverage teams to handle. Additionally, he’s a good form tackler, packs some punch for his size, and doesn’t hesitate to stick his head in the run game. The natural coverage ability, including body control, short-area quickness and adjustment ability, top-end speed, and physicality, as well as the success he had against the national team’s top-tier competition, are a heckuva recipe for success at the college level. Lot of runway left in this one too, folks.
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