Marcelin A Star For Division III Rowan Profs
Rowan junior running back Wit Marcelin has rushed for 2,532 yards in his last 20 games. (Photo credit: Rowan University Athletics)
Matt Leon
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Junior running back Wit Marcelin has been a force on the ground, once again, for the Division III Rowan Profs. He leads the New Jersey Athletic Conference with 1,094 yards through 8 games this season. He has scored nine touchdowns and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. This after he rushed for 1,438 yards last season, more than anyone else in the conference.
Not bad for a guy who originally came to Rowan as a safety.
“Our (defensive coordinator) Pat Lancetta kind of saw some things and said, ‘Hey, we may want to take a look at this guy offensively,'” Rowan head coach Jay Accorsi tells KYW Newsradio. “Sure enough we moved him over immediately (his freshman year) and he’s made an impact for us.”
Marcelin helped lead the Profs to a share of the NJAC title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Here in 2014, he is a big reason why the Profs are 5-3 and in play in the NJAC title race once again.
The Ocean Township (NJ) High School product says one coach on the Rowan staff in particular helped make the transition to running back a smooth one.
Listen to the entire interview with Rowan’s Wit Marcelin:
‘When I got moved to running back, I was introduced to (Rowan running backs) Coach (Shaun) Williams and he’s really helped my whole development as a running back,” Marcelin tells KYW Newsradio. “Freshmen year, he got me in at times so I could get my feet wet a little bit. Then the two summers, going into my sophomore season and going into my junior season, we worked out in the summer together, we watched film together. So he really helped every aspect. And I have to thank the offensive line, because they’ve made things really easy these past two years.”
Marcelin says his experience playing defense in high school has actually proven helpful to his running back career in college.
“Seeing a linebacker at a certain distance, or how his feet are,” Marcelin says, “I remember from my days (playing defense) where (you) stagger your feet if you’re going to blitz. So when I see that, I’m thinking, ‘Alright, #54 is blitzing.’ So I have those kinds of things still in the back of my head throughout the game. My pre-snap read is what I’m doing throughout the whole game, so I can understand things a lot faster and just let it click. From there, just let any kind of athletic ability take over.”
Accorsi is very happy to have a talent like Marcelin at the center of his offense.
“He works really hard, both on and off the field,” Accorsi says. “Academically, athletically, in the weight room and everything else. So he’s doing a really nice job.”
Listen to the entire interview with Rowan’s Jay Accorsi:
Marcelin breaks down the running style that has allowed him to have so much success.
“If I had to compare it to somebody in the NFL, a lot of my friends say (Dallas running back) DeMarco Murray,” Marcelin says. “I’m an upright runner and I like punishing people every run. I’m not the biggest back, but for some reason I run like it and I have the speed to breakaway. So it’s fun where they expect you to be small, and when they hit me I bounce right off or I run over somebody. Those little things, it makes me feel good. I like to be well-balanced, I don’t want a team to just think I’m going to run somebody over or just think I’m speed. I want to be able to never come off the field. I want to be able to run, catch, block, do everything.”
Marcelin and the Profs return to action on Saturday when they visit Kean.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
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