The reigning SEC offensive player of the week's journey to stardom hasn't been easy.
Auburn junior quarterback Nick Marshall was a local legend at Wilcox County High School in Georgia.
As a junior in 2009, he led his team to their first state championship in school history. His 103 career touchdown passes set a Georgia state record.
Upon graduation, Marshall signed with the home-state Georgia Bulldogs, but not to play quarterback. He saw the field as a true freshman on special teams and in the secondary, recording five tackles in 13 games.
And though Marshall has now made a name for himself as a dual-threat quarterback at Auburn, Georgia head coach Mark Richt thinks he could have been a star on the other side of the ball too.
"He'd be an all-conference type guy," Richt said in his weekly press conference. "He'd be a guy who would have a very bright future at that position."
But with one bad decision in the offseason, that very bright future at cornerback dissipated.
Marshall, along with two Georgia teammates, was kicked off the team for a violation of team rules.
"There were going to be a lot of opportunities for him," said Mark Ledford, Marshall's coach at Wilcox County High. "It's a shame he's wasting those opportunities at Georgia."
Marshall accepted the consequences. He enrolled at Garden City Community College in Kansas with hopes of one day returning to the SEC -- as a quarterback.
At Garden City in 2012, Marshall passed for 3,142 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 1,095 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.
"He's the kind of quarterback you need to sign when you're trying to turn a program around," said Jeff Tatum, Marshall's head coach at Garden City.
Enter the 3-9 Auburn Tigers.
Marshall had preexisting relationships with new Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig, and his dual threat ability was a perfect match for Malzahn's spread offense.
In January 2013, Marshall committed to the Tigers.
By August, and without participating in spring practice, Marshall emerged victorious from a four-man quarterback competition.
By the tenth game of the 2013 season, Marshall has become a household name. He has rushed for over 100 yards in three SEC contests this year and led Auburn to a surprising 9-1 record.
"He's gotten better just overall," said junior running back Corey Grant. "Making his read, running the ball, knowing when he needs to give it."
On Saturday, Marshall's SEC journey will come full circle.
Auburn hosts Georgia in a game that would be easy for Marshall to take personally.
But immediately after the win over Tennessee, Marshall said beating his old team "doesn't mean too much."
"It's just another opponent that's in our way, blocking what we're trying to capitalize on," Marshall said. "So we'll be worried next week starting tomorrow."
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