2021 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Marquiss Spencer, DL, Mississippi State University

• Name: Marquiss Spencer
• Position: Defensive End/Defensive Tackle
• College: Mississippi State University
• Height: 6’3 
• Weight: 300 lbs
• Twitter: @Bigspencer421

Right now, people are not talking about you the way I feel they should. Do you feel you are an underdog?

• No, I do not feel like I am an underdog. I do not have a reason as to why people may not be talking about me as much. I have heard that some think I do not have a motor. I do not let that talk get to me because I know how explosive I am coming off the line. 

What is one thing that NFL teams should know about you?

• One thing that NFL teams should know about me is I love to train; practice hard; and I play harder. 

If you could donate to one cause in the world, what would it be? 

• If I could donate to one cause in the world it would be to the cancer foundation because my mother was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. 

Who was your childhood hero? 

• My childhood hero was Coach Clinton Gatewood. I remember when my dream was to play basketball. He came to my grandmother’s house and asked if I could play football. He was so committed to me and so many young men like me. He ensured I was up and ready to train before the break of day. He saved so many of us from the streets and we all have so much respect for him today. It was not just coaching for him. It was about touching lives. To me, that was the most important. I am forever grateful. I want to leave that same impact on young people. 

Who is the most underrated teammate in your locker room at your school? 

• The most underrated teammate in my locker room at Mississippi State University is Kwatravious Johnson. We attended the same high school. I know he is a dynamic player. I am still waiting for others to see his greatness.

What is your biggest pet peeve? 

• My biggest pet peeve is disloyal people. I am very big on loyalty. I am loyal to people, jobs, and myself. I try my best not to be a disappointment to any of my assignments as a son, a brother, an uncle, a student, an athlete, or a teammate. 

Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome? 

• The hardest moment that I had to overcome in my life was losing my grandmother. That was the one person I knew that understood me. I saw her dwindle slowly with Dementia. Going from the person who was always there for me to slowly being the person I had lost. 

Tell me something about your school and why it is so special to you?

• Mississippi State is a school committed to academic excellence. It is special to me because they recognized me as a student before they recognized me as an athlete. It made me more responsible as a student and as an athlete. My high school football coach, Coach Clinton Gatewood, preached academics before football. Mississippi State kept me going with that motto. It drove me to be more responsible and to prioritize first. 

What is your favorite snack food? 

• My favorite snack food is pizza. I love meat lovers pizza is my ultimate favorite. I have to limit myself but I love it. 

The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, If you could sell yourself in one sentence what would you say? 

• My character, integrity, and dedication would be a bonus to any team that drafts me. I have passion, I am coachable, which means I am willing to follow before I lead, I am self-motivated, self-disciplined, strong worth ethics, and I have a desire to always be improving. 

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be? 

• If I could compare my play to one player in the NFL, it would be Fletcher Cox. Cox is a Defensive Tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Our stats are similar. He finished his college career with 104 total tackles with 11 quarterback sacks. I finished with 108 total tackles with 7 quarterback sacks. Cox finished with two interceptions. I finished with one. So our stats are very similar. We were both built off the Mississippi State Bulldog Program. I know I can cause just as much damage as he does. 

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why? 

• The three people I would have dinner with would be my mother and my siblings. They have been by my side the entire journey. From the moment I started moving around, they have been there. They have all made sacrifices for me no one else could make. My brother who is paralyzed missed a lot of my games physically. My mom missed a lot of time with him traveling to see me play. My sister who lives in Georgia spent a lot of time on the highway to see me play. She would drive through the night to get back home and go to work the next day. Those are the sacrifices that mean the most to me and I am forever grateful.