Signee Analysis: Offensive Lineman JuJu Marks

Nebraska senior football assistant Jamar Mozee has been the gift that keeps on giving. Husker head coaches going all the way back to Bill Callahan have been trying to solve the riddle that has been recruiting the Kansas City area.

Like all coaches who first arrive at a program, Matt Rhule spent his initial recruiting efforts focusing on familiar recruiting territories. Unfortunately, that meant neglecting the (relatively) local hotspot. Wisely, Rhule shifted gears during his second season at Nebraska and started prioritizing Nebraska's closest recruiting hotbed.

Hiring Mozee — one of the most respected high school coaches in the Kansas City metro — has supercharged those efforts. Within weeks of Mozee's arrival in mid-July, his son, four-star WR Isaiah, flipped his commitment from Oregon.

This offseason, Mozee has brought in two of his former players from Lee's Summit (Mo.) North via the transfer portal: Williams Nwaneri, a 2024 five-star edge who originally signed with Missouri, and Southern Illinois DB Jamir Conn.

Jamar Mozee was also responsible for flipping one of the best two-way linemen in the Midwest. Nebraska was one of the first programs to offer Juju Marks in November 2022, when interim head coach Mickey Joseph personally started recruiting him after he visited Lincoln for the Wisconsin game.

At the time, Marks was viewed primarily as a D-line prospect, having played defensive tackle exclusively during his first two seasons at Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas. He made the switch to offensive tackle as a junior and helped lead the Saints to a 4A state championship.

He made an early commitment to Missouri on Sept. 16, 2023, after taking an unofficial visit to Columbia to watch the Tigers beat Kansas State. Marks later admitted he made an impulsive decision — committing during a visit high — and decommitted less than a month later on Oct. 10, although the Tigers would remain involved in his recruitment.

His recruitment blew up that fall. Matt Rhule and his staff re-offered shortly after arriving at Nebraska and tried to get their foot in the door, but the Huskers never gained much traction.

Marks accumulated roughly 40 offers and in April named a top eight of Alabama, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oregon, USC, Tennessee and Ole Miss. While Nebraska wasn't on his radar, one team had been chipping away since February: Central Florida.

Jamar Mozee had been hired away from Lee's Summit North, where he'd been the head coach since 2015, to join Gus Malzahn's UCF staff as a defensive analyst. He began recruiting Marks immediately and as summer approached had the Knights in line for an official visit.

Marks planned to visit Kansas, USC, Wisconsin, Oregon and Alabama as well and then wanted to make a commitment on June 30. His first stop was 30 minutes from home to see Kansas. The Jayhawks were the first team to offer him and coaches had prioritized him from Day 1. Marks ended up committing to the program whose basketball team he grew up rooting for at the conclusion of his visit, June 9, and canceled his remaining plans.

Five weeks later, Mozee was hired by Matt Rhule, and one of the first players Mozee began recruiting was Juju Marks, who had recently transferred to Olathe South High School to play his senior season.

Mozee helped crack the door open for the Huskers, and soon director of player personnel Keith Williams, offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and head coach Matt Rhule all did their part to sway momentum.

Schools like Auburn and Washington had also been actively trying to flip Marks, but it was Nebraska who finally stole him away from Kansas when he flipped to the Huskers on Oct. 20, despite having not yet visited campus. Marks directly attributed his and his family's relationship to Mozee as being the catalyst in his decision.

Marks would eventually take his official visit to Nebraska less than two weeks ago during the weekend of Jan. 31, which encompassed the Elite Junior Day event on Feb. 1.

Marks, a two-time first-team all-state selection, is a Rivals four-star recruit ranked as the No. 243 player in the class.

When he first arrived on the recruiting scene as a sophomore, college recruiters looked at Marks as defensive lineman — including Nebraska — but after he made the move to offensive tackle and played both ways as a junior and senior, the majority of schools changed their approach — including the Huskers.

Marks initially was hesitant to switch to the offensive side of the ball, but he's since embraced it and views it as his best opportunity to play at the next level.

In addition to his play on the gridiron, Marks plays on the grassroots basketball circuit with KC Run GMC, which had him drawing offers to play college basketball. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Marks has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and impressive athleticism which can be attributed to his basketball background.

Marks has the size, frame and movement ability to become a dominant offensive tackle after a few years of reshaping his body and refining his technique. There's also still the positional flexibility to move him back to defense where he could project to a few different spots on the D-line. Versatile, explosive big men like him are rare and valuable pieces to a roster. He has a lot of potential.

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