Juggling love for football and archaeology, meet ASU recruit Marlon Dawson

There’s no grass in Marlon Dawson’s fantasies. Rather, his dreams are the nightmares of most: he’s on his hands and knees somewhere in the desert, alone. Then, while the wind swirls around the mountains and valleys of Egypt, Dawson’s brush or hammer or machine will hit something that isn’t rock.

He’s searching for one thing in particular. He said the word to no response. It sounds like an uncommon medical condition, not precisely in the everyday lexicon. Dawson spells it out.

“N-e-f-e-r-t-i-t-i,” he says slowly.

Or rather the tomb of Nefertiti, he explains. She was an Egyptian queen most famous for being the stepmother of King Tutankhamen. She last took a breath around 1330 B.C. but garners so much intrigue now because no one has unequivocally found her body. Some think she may have been one of the two mummies found in 1998. Others believe that her remains may be behind a secret door at the tomb of King Tut, a historically insignificant figure who became a household name after his body and tomb were discovered in pristine condition in 1922.

Most people Dawson’s age want to be Tom Brady or Deandre Hopkins. He would love for nothing more than to be compared to Howard Carter, the man who discovered King Tut’s body. The one who made the find of a lifetime.

“My main goal, after all of this, is the find her (Nefertiti’s) tomb,” Dawson said. “My main goal is to be an archaeologist. That really came just based off (the fact) I like history. I like Egypt’s history and how there are tombs that have never been found before, but they’re out there. I feel that’s the most peaceful thing; you can just sit there and dig stuff by yourself. I like being at peace with myself … I just feel like being an archeologist is the most fun, peaceful thing ever.”

It’s an out-of-the-box pursuit for a high-schooler so touted in something that requires almost none of the same skills. Dawson, a three-star defensive end prospect from Oak Park, Michigan, is currently committed to Miami (OH) but is leaving his recruitment open, which allowed Arizona State to jump in with an offer on Wednesday.

At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Dawson’s self-assessment is one word: versatile. He’ll come off the edge and use his long arms to pressure the quarterback. He can drop back and cover tight ends. Need him to play linebacker and spy a quarterback or running back? Just ask. He saw a path to follow after his dad showed him film of 2020 NFL draftees Isaiah Simmons and K’Lavon Chaisson, a pair of linebackers who excelled at multiple positions at Clemson and LSU, respectively.

“Those are who I model my game after,” Dawson said. “I watch them almost every day. I look at their game film, highlights, and I watch their practices … My dad is a sports fanatic, so anything he sees that he thinks can make my game better, he tells me and shows me.”

And it was Dawson’s father who guided him towards a love for history. Watching movies together, the father-son duo would hit the pause button often to discuss or research the historical references or events shown in flicks. One thing led to another, Dawson said, and he became obsessed with archaeology, admitting his YouTube search history is an odd mix of football highlights and archaeological programs.

Not many people can jump from national championship highlights to a video of someone polishing off dinosaur fossils. And not many three-star recruits answer the obligatory coach question of “What do think you want to major in?” with an emphatic response of “Archaeology!”

(For what it’s worth, most schools -- such as ASU and Miami (Ohio) -- have an anthropology major, which includes archaeology programs.)

“They are always surprised with that my answer that I want to major in archaeology. Schools are always blown away by that. They don’t have a comeback to that,” he said. “When I visit campuses and stuff like that, I’ve already got my questions down pat.”

Dawson’s offer list is officially up to 14, despite posting a Twitter announcement on April 18 that he was “1000% committed” to Miami (OH). In all reality, he admitted, he felt pressured to make an early decision.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced recruits to almost pick sides. There are those who feel they need to act fast and commit somewhere early, just in case their high school football season doesn’t happen. Others think that’s crazy, not understanding how a young kid could choose a school he’s never visited.

“With all the stuff going on, when we weren’t sure if we were having a season, a lot of schools stopped reaching out. I kind of had to lock something down on the spot,” Dawson said. “I was already having good talks with Miami, and we already had a good relationship. I kind of pulled the trigger, so, in case something happened, I already had a spot secured.

“Any school that offers me, I’m always going to take a look because, at the end of the day, my main goal is to get to the league.”

Dawson said his top five schools currently are: Miami (OH), Temple, Nevada, Iowa State, and Arizona State, the last to the party in his recruitment.

While working out in Los Angeles, the Sun Devils contacted Dawson at his uncle’s house and offered him something he thought would have come months earlier. He said there was a hiatus in talks between ASU after he committed to Miami (OH). Then, out of the blue, analyst Anthony Garnett and co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce reached back out last week.

Dawson said he hopes to make his final decision after his senior season at Oak Hill High. For now, he’s training three times a day in sunny Los Angeles, preparing as if there’s going to be a high school season. After that, who knows? He’ll play college football somewhere. Maybe make the NFL. Years later, he could be on his knees in the Egypt sand, Nefertiti just below him. And that, after all, is the goal.