Marquis Rawlings '12 Recruiting Profile

My name is Marquis Rawlings. I am a senior at North Plainfield High School in North Plainfield, New Jersey. I am 5'8", 185 pounds and I run a 4.4. My primary position is running back, but I am always willing to try other positions including on defense.  In fact, in the off season my coach had me play cornerback.   In the past, I have played both corner and safety positions. My dream is to play college football. I would love to play football in college.  Playing football in college will give me an opportunity to play with players from different training and skill levels offering the ultimate athletic challenge while earning a college degree. I believe the key for me to be successful is to stay humble and work hard both as a student and an athlete. School work comes first because I realize and value the importance of education.  I was a part time employee at Shoprite Supemarket during the school year and plan to work part time after football season.  I transferred high schools from Immaculata High School after ninth grade. The transition from private school to public school posed some challenges. First, I had to adjust to an entirely different environment and get to know all new people. My grades were impacted by the transition but I make no excuses for not performing to my fullest potential. I had a difficult junior year but I am looking forward to my senior year both academically and athletically.  I currently have a 2.75 GPA. I am a starting varsity player on the North Plainfield Canucks.  In my Junior season my team went undefeated during the regular season 2010-2011 with a record of 9-0. We had our first loss of the year 27-20 against Carteret HS during the quaterfinal playoffs, but that loss taught us how hard we must work to compete for it all. I led my team in rushing yards. I received my Varsity letters and was awarded the following special athletic recognition: 1st Team All Conference, 2nd Team All Somerset County, and 2nd Team All State Group II.  This spring 2011 I attended some combines and camps.  I won the Combine King Award at the National Underclassmen Combine in May 2011.  I was one of the fastest athletes there running a 4.4.  
Throughout my high school football career I played with some very talented athletes and we had some great seasons. I am developing leadership skills and I intend to get better and stronger as a student athlete. I think I have the qualities any coach would appreciate in an athlete, because I work hard, I understand the idea of team effort and I never give up. It would be nice to attend a division I or division II or III college as it would increase the level of collegiate competition, however I realize that I can make an impact at any school provided I keep the right attitude and play hard.