BATON ROUGE — It’s been a busy week for LSU’s Marcus Spears. The senior from Baton Rouge has been in Mobile, Ala., since Sunday preparing for the final game of his collegiate career and perhaps the biggest job interview of his life.
Spears, a consensus All-America at defensive end in 2004 for the Tigers, is one of three LSU players participating in Saturday’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Spears will be joined at the game by LSU defensive standouts Corey Webster and Travis Daniels. Kickoff for the Senior Bowl is set for 3 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPN.
‘I’ve had a great week,” Spears said on Friday from an autograph session in Mobile. “I feel really good about what I’ve been able to do this week. I’ve gotten some work done and I think I’ve opened some people’s eyes.”
Spears, considered a lock to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, capped his LSU career with 152 tackles, 34.5 tackles for losses and 19 sacks.
As a senior in 2004, Spears had one of the best seasons for a defensive lineman in school history, registering 17 tackles for losses and nine sacks for the Tigers. On top of all of his on-field accomplishments for LSU, he’s also scheduled to graduate in May.
In addition to practice each day, Spears has also had his share of media obligations, autograph sessions and perhaps the most important off-the-field task of the week, interviews with NFL coaches.
“I’ve talked with quite a few teams,” Spears said. “It’s been a lot of fun and a great experience.”
Among the teams that Spears has interviewed with this week include the Dolphins, Chiefs, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Chargers and 49ers.
As far as the game is concerned, Spears will lineup at defensive end for the South squad in hopes of continuing to impress the NFL scouts.
“I plan on going out and doing what I always do and that’s play hard and have fun,” Spears said. “It’s also important that I go out and show some things with my technique to the scouts to prove that I can do the things necessary to be successful at the next level.”