University at Buffalo running back Kevin Marks Jr. announced Tuesday on his social media accounts that he will enter the NFL draft.
Marks elected to forgo his final season of eligibility with the UB football program to turn pro. He joined the Bulls as a freshman in the fall of 2017, but redshirted that year. He had a remaining year of eligibility, which the NCAA granted to athletes in fall sports in August 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What a ride Buffalo,” Marks wrote on a post that he shared on Twitter and Instagram. “We shaped this program in so many ways. It always felt good knowing nothing was ever given and everything was always earned. Buffalo groomed me into the man I am today. Thank you for allowing me to be a student-athlete at this prestigious institution. I will never forget the memories made here. I came back to Buffalo to finish what I started. Adversity came but I’ve been through adversity all my life and I got here by never giving up and believing in myself.
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“Prepared to realize my biggest goal yet – playing in the National Football League. In this next chapter, I will keep working to push myself every day as I continue to grow as a person.”
After Jaret Patterson declared for the NFL Draft in December 2020, Marks, a 5-foot-10 back from Norfolk, Va., was poised to become UB’s top running back for the 2021 season. However, a lower-leg injury limited Marks to nine games this season, and he had 414 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries.
Marks leaves UB as its No. 5 all-time leading rusher in yards (3,035), fifth in carries (667) and tied for third all-time in rushing touchdowns (33),
Had Marks returned to the Bulls, he would be in a pool of running backs that included Dylan McDuffie, who was UB’s leading rusher in 2021 with 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns on 206 carries; Ron Cook Jr., Mike Washington and Jackson Paradis, the Gatorade New Hampshire football player of the year who plans to sign with UB when the early signing period begins Wednesday.
Instead, Marks will now aim for a shot at the pros. WalterFootball.com projects Marks as the No. 28 running back in this year’s current draft pool and as either a seventh-round pick or an undrafted free agent, while NFLDraftBuzz.com projects Marks as the No. 35 running back.
However, there are more than four months before the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 28-30 in Las Vegas, and Marks can boost his draft stock through interviews with teams, private workouts, a strong showing at UB’s pro day and, if invited, the NFL Combine in March in Indianapolis.
College players who declare early for the NFL Draft have until Jan. 17 to file declaration papers with the NFL, and have a 72-hour period to reconsider after filing.
