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Former High 5 star chasing NFL dream
Former Towers High School and Coastal Carolina running back CJ Marable is looking to chase the dream of playing in the NFL.
ATLANTA - The NFL has announced that there will be no in-person workouts at this year's NFL Combine.
It will make things harder for general managers, but it also makes it difficult for college prospects, especially those from smaller schools to turn heads.
For Coastal Carolina running back CJ Marable, it's just another roadblock, and he has been getting around those since his days at Towers High School.
"You've got to know what you want."
And CJ Marable has known for a long time that he wants to play in the NFL. Now he's a step away.
"I've wanted to be in this position right here since I was in little league football and since I was at Towers. I knew I was kind of different from my other teammates because I knew where I wanted to go and knew I was destined to do that," says Marable.
The road to this point has been winding. Despite playing in sparsely attended 5 o'clock games at Towers, Marable earned himself a scholarship offer from Arkansas State, but after that chance disappeared he went to Presbyterian College.
Then after an all-conference freshman year, Presbyterian went to non-scholarship football.
That's when Marable finally landed at Coastal Carolina.
And his third and final season for the Chanticleers was one for the record books.
It peaked with a nationally televised top 25 showdowns against BYU where Marable ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a 22-17 win.
"My coach told me after the BYU game, 'I don't think you understand what you just did.' Then I got a chance to talk to Reggie Bush after that game," said Marable.
NATS - setting up your block putting your foot in the ground.
It was his national exposure this season that makes it a little easier for Marable to digest that the NFL has canceled NFL Combine workouts.
His physical talent is on tape and now he's working on crushing his team interviews.
"I bring value to a team. It doesn't matter what position. Even on special teams, I can play all four phases of special teams. As a runner, I'm patient, I have great vision, I set my blocks up and as a pass-catcher, I'm great at running routes. I can catch the ball phenomenally," said Marable.
Right now Marable says he's expected to be a late-round pick but knows there's potential he may go undrafted. But he's ready for that.
"No matter what happens, that won't stop me. That's just my motto, that's the way I was raised. No matter what it is, just be determined. Just break down them barriers," said Marable.