We continue our UCF Knights Football Future Hall of Famers series with a look at arguably the greatest NFL player to call UCF his alma mater.

Brandon Marshall

Wide Receiver and Defensive Back

2003-2005

Photo By Grant Halverson/Getty Images

A graduate of Lake Howell High School in Winter Park where he played quarterback, Marshall was a two-star recruit who chose UCF over UConn and Georgia Southern (Seems hard to believe now, huh?). He made a solid contribution in 2003, with 28 catches for 377 yards and 2 TDs.

But it’s easy to forget that Marshall also started at safety for seven games during the 2004 season due to a slew of injuries in UCF’s secondary. In fact, he led the team in tackles with 51 during that ill-fated 0-11 season.

Marshall’s best season came in 2005 as a senior, when he posted these career highs:

• 74 receptions (T-9th all-time at UCF)
• 1,195 receiving yards (2nd-best at UCF)
• 11 touchdowns

Marshall’s best single game came in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl, where he had 11 catches for 210 yards (4th-best at UCF) and three touchdowns, including two in the final moments that helped UCF force overtime. He was named MVP of the game despite the fact that UCF lost, 49-48. For his efforts during the 2005 season, Marshall was selected to the All-Conference USA second team.

Marshall had 112 receptions, 1,674 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns in his three-year collegiate career. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in 4th the round of 2006 NFL Draft. Here he was at UCF’s Pro Day that year:

In 2009, Marshall set a new NFL record for catches in a single game with 21, breaking a mark set by Terrell Owens:

As of 2018, Marshall has 970 career catches for 12,351 yards and 83 TDs with six different teams. He is the first and so far only NFL player to record six seasons of 100+ catches.

This year, Marshall started with the Seahawks, but was let go. He signed with the Saints but never played a down, and was waived in December.

But if this is the last we see of Brandon Marshall on the field, we should see him a lot off the field once his playing days are done. He has done tremendous work in the mental health arena, as he has been very open about his own struggles with mental health over the years:

Accomplishments:

• Second-team All-C-USA (2005)
• Pro Bowl MVP (2012)
• 6× Pro Bowler (2008, 2009, 2011–2013, 2015)
• First-team All-Pro (2012)
• Second-team All-Pro (2015)
• NFL records for catches in a game (21) and seasons with 100+ catches (6)