Marshall returns to Kansas as a star

— -- AUBURN, Ala. -- The story of how Nick Marshall wound up at Auburn involves a coaching change, a certain phone call and a collection of handwritten notes, but it all started back in August 2012 with a scholarship offer from Arkansas State.

Marshall had found a new home in Kansas at Garden City Community College following his dismissal from the University of Georgia. Just a few months before Marshall's dismissal, Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn had found a new home, too, as the head coach at Arkansas State.

The first order of business for Malzahn was to find a quarterback, and it took all of one game before he extended a scholarship offer to Marshall, a converted defensive back. It was Marshall's first offer since arriving at junior college.

"You knew he was a very, very good quarterback in high school," Malzahn said. "That was one thing. And the fact that he fits into what we look for in a quarterback. Those were the two main factors."

Arkansas State wouldn't be Marshall's only suitor, though. Soon, he had offers from Baylor, Texas Tech, Indiana and Kansas State. They weren't necessarily the same schools that had recruited him out of high school in Pine View, Georgia, but he would be getting a second chance.