LSU Football: Terrace Marshall Jr could have a major decision looming

LSU football wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr will play a key role in Tigers’ offense in 2020.

With Justin Jefferson off to the NFL, LSU football will look to Terrace Marshall Jr to fill the role of the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, across from future top-five draft pick Ja’Marr Chase.

Marshall, who will be a junior in 2020, put up a nice stat line in 2019, despite playing behind Jefferson and Chase (and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who made a big impact in the passing game).

In 12 games last season, Marshall caught 46 passes for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns (a ridiculous 28 percent of Marshall’s catches were touchdown receptions). Not bad for the third or fourth option in the passing game.

Obviously, the expectation is that Marshall will have a Chase-like breakout in 2020. He’s clearly a talented player who has a bright future in the NFL.

But when will Marshall end up in the NFL?

If the 2020 season happens, he will almost certainly leave LSU early to enter the draft.

But what if the 2020 season doesn’t happen this fall?

Has LSU football seen the last of Marshall on the field?

If Marshall performs as most analysts expect him to in 2020, there’s a good chance he’ll be a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

A mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller earlier this year had Marshall listed as a first-round pick (No. 23 overall). But that’s likely predicated on Marshall performing at a high level this season.

However, it seems unlikely that Marshall will be a first-round pick if the SEC ends up canceling its fall season (to be clear, the SEC is planning to play for now). The Louisiana native needs another season on the field to solidify his status as a first-round pick, otherwise he’s leaving quite a bit of cash on the table.

So if the 2020 season doesn’t happen, does Marshall return to LSU? Or does he head to the NFL anyway and hope for the best (which would probably mean being selected in the third or fourth round)?

That’s a question that Marshall will have to answer if the fall season doesn’t happen (a spring season isn’t viable for a lot of reasons, mainly player safety).

Hopefully, though, we’ll have SEC football this fall and Marshall will get to show off his five-star skills.