MOBILE, Ala. – There was nothing unusual about the play.

Facing fourth-and-four at the opponent's 33-yard line, many head collegiate coaches would choose to go for it rather than attempt a 50-yard field goal.  The University of South Alabama's Joey Jones was no different when presented that situation on the Jaguars' opening drive at Arkansas State last November.  Jag quarterback Matt Floyd dropped back and saw his target heading toward the end zone facing one-on-one coverage, launching a pass that — if completed — would give USA an early lead.

Two men went up in the air in an effort to haul in the pass, with both crashing to the ground alongside the ball.  Incompletion, turnover on downs.

But only one man got up.


College football is back, with games being played across all levels throughout the weekend leading into Labor Day.  And so is Marvin Shinn.

On that fateful day in Jonesboro last fall, it was Shinn who was unable to stand following the play having suffered a broken leg that would end his first season as a Jaguar.

"When it happened I thought I got hit, but when I watched it later the defensive back threw me off so I came down wrong and it just snapped.  It was a freaky play," he recalled nearly 10 months later on the eve of the season opener.  "I was thinking that I didn't want to let my team down, but I couldn't do anything else about it.  I kept thinking that it couldn't be real, I was frustrated.  I went downhill a little bit after it happened thinking that it was over, but my team stayed with me, they came to see me all the time and kept me involved, which has helped get me to where I am today."

Shinn ended the year with seven catches for 173 yards, an average of nearly 25 yards per play that was best on the team among individuals with more than one reception.  His first catch for the program went for a gain of 58 yards in last season's opening-day victory at Kent State, setting up a USA touchdown one play later, while in his last full game the week prior to the visit to Arkansas State Shinn had a 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter that moved the Jags inside the Louisiana-Lafayette 5-yard line in a three-point game.

"I gave the team all I could give them.  We had a lot of good receivers I was playing behind, and I needed to respect that," he said of his first year on the field for the Jaguars.  "When the coaches called my name I had to go out there and make a play, but I left a lot out there last year before the broken leg.  I have a lot to show this year."

The injury was severe enough that Shinn was unable to participate in spring practice, but that didn't stop the 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior from preparing to return to the field for his final season of eligibility at the collegiate level.

"It was hard knowing that I couldn't get out there with them and do the things they were doing.  I tried to stay involved and kept pushing myself to do something while I was out there, helping coach young guys up and help lead the team in the right direction," he stated.  "I would rehab at school during the day, then I would do stuff at home on my own at night.  I was pushing myself all the time to be ready for this season, and it has worked out.

"I'm close to 100 percent, it's just about knowing that I can do it again without be scared to do it.  I've learned and am trying to have faith in my leg."

After going through preseason camp, that faith will be tested Saturday evening when USA opens the season against Gardner-Webb.  After weeks of practice, his new position coach Tyler Siskey believes Shinn is prepared for the upcoming season.

"The first part of camp Marvin was knocking the rust off," Siskey observed.  "It was probably after the first week that he started making strides every day, and he's gotten better every single day to where he is now ready to go."

Expectations are high for Shinn despite coming off the injury.  "My expectations are that Marvin have high expectations for himself — we want all of our players to play at their highest level," commented Jones.  "He has worked his tail off this summer coming off the injury, he wants to have a great senior year.  But it's up to him, he has to be the guy who is going to make the plays."

"This year I want to be a better leader, and I want to try and make all the big plays that I can to get my team going," Shinn said.  "But I just want to win every game."

Nearly two weeks ago, Shinn was one of two Jaguars named to the Senior Bowl Watch List.  While the statistics might have been modest last fall, the physical attributes he brings to the field have caught the attention of many.

"Obviously his size and his length are an advantage," explained Siskey.  "One thing we always stress is making contested catches, and with his length and size he does a great job of that."

But the compliments aren't just coming from the offensive side of the ball.  "His size is definitely going to pose some problems for corners, because I don't know any 6-foot-4 corners who we play against," said Jag defensive coordinator Travis Pearson.  "Another thing is his playing experience — we're talking about a guy who caught the first pass in the 2013 national championship game against Notre Dame.  He has knowledge of the game and experience, and he also runs really good routes and knows how to body you up.  That's why I say that I think that he can be really special."


Shinn isn't just returning to the field this fall, he's back making plays in Mobile.

A native of the Port City, he started playing both football and basketball as a four-year-old and hasn't slowed down since.  By the time he was six, Shinn had set a definitive goal depending on the sport — he would either play football at Alabama or basketball at Duke.  Although primarily a quarterback, his precocious talent was on display the few times he moved to wide receiver.

"I played quarterback all my life, quarterback was what I know," Shinn said.  "In the eighth grade I tried receiver one time and caught a long pass for a touchdown and got a feeling.  I played in one playoff game in the ninth grade and caught my first touchdown from B.J. Scott, and it clicked at that point that I could be a receiver."

As a sophomore, he caught 46 passes for 872 yards and 17 touchdowns, helping Vigor High go 15-0 en route to the state 5A championship.  Shinn tacked on 50 receptions for 782 yards and nine scores as a senior as well, but in between he shifted positions moving back to quarterback for the Wolves.

"I had a wonderful sophomore year, but our quarterback left so I wanted to try and help the team out," he stated.  "I was a little rusty that spring, but it wasn't difficult because I had done it all the time."

After accounting for more than 900 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns his junior year, Shinn returned to wide receiver for his final season at the direction of VHS head coach Kerry Stevenson.  "They knew I liked to play quarterback but wouldn't do it in college," Shinn observed.  "He was looking out for me."

Despite changing positions twice in as many years, Shinn earned All-America honors from both Under Armour and SuperPrep magazine and was considered among the top 20 receivers in the country by every recruiting organization.  That's when he made his early dream come true.

"I don't know that I ever believed I would be at Alabama, but I kept playing, working hard and getting better, and when I got to high school Alabama told me they wanted me to join their program so I committed in the ninth grade," he recalled.  "I always told my mom I was going to play for that team, and that's what I strived for every day.  It was always my dream, and it came true."

After sitting out as a redshirt in 2011, Shinn appeared in all 14 games the following season.  He would catch six balls for 42 yards, including a pair against the Fighting Irish in the title contest, but decided at that point that he wanted to look elsewhere to finish his collegiate career.

"Alabama is a great place and a great program," he commented.  "I learned a lot up there — they helped make me the man I am today — but everybody is good.  I had waited my turn, but they are mostly a power run team and I thought I could do more things in a spread offense somewhere else."

At first, not many believed that Shinn truly wanted to leave Tuscaloosa.  But once word got out that was the case, the Jaguars immediately got to work trying to convince him to come home.

"We first heard it through his high school coach, Kerry Stevenson called us and told us Marvin was interested in transferring here," stated Jones.  "Of course we immediately got on top of that through the right process and started talking to him.  We knew about Marvin when he was a sophomore in high school, we saw him catch a 70-yard touchdown pass in the semifinals [of the state playoffs]; I thought to myself, 'Man, that guy is going to be a great player.'  We were recruiting him but when schools like Auburn and Alabama came in we knew we were out of it, but to hear that he was going to come back certainly was a big thing for our football program."

It wasn't just the coaching staff that was trying to convince Shinn to become a Jaguar, he heard from old friends as well.

"I found out as soon as he was getting ready to leave," said Danny Woodson II, who had transferred from Alabama to USA following the national championship game.  "I told him that he should come here, that we could take over the city.  We were roommates when we first went to Alabama so we were pretty close, so I talked to him every day and told him to come here so we could make history in Mobile like we did back in high school.

"A couple of other players were trying to get him to come here including Terrance Timmons — Terrance can say some persuasive things — and we got him here."

"When I first said I wanted to transfer no one believed it, they didn't expect me to leave Alabama," Shinn observed.  "When everyone caught on, a lot of teams talked to me; I knew I could go somewhere and make plays, but South was home where I have kids looking up to me and my family could come to every game.  I wanted to start something great here."


Sure, coming home was about getting more playing time and an opportunity to have a greater impact on his team on the field.  But there was more to the decision than just football.

"There was a lot of negative things around me growing up, and I was able to get out of that," Shinn said.  "Danny and I want to show all the kids in our community that it is never too late to do something."

He'll have that opportunity again this fall and potentially beyond should a National Football League team come calling in the spring, but Shinn is prepared for life after football starting with his scheduled graduation from South Alabama in December.

"If I have a chance to go to the NFL I'm not going to give up on it, but I want to do something where I can teach kids and help them achieve their dreams.  I want to help kids any way I can," he explained.

But first, college football is back this fall, and Marvin Shinn is returning with it.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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