Kobe Marfo ready to kick off his career at Rutgers
The start of Big Ten college football is just hours away for Rutgers incoming cornerback Kobe Marfo. Monday marks his arrival in Piscataway as he hopes to strengthen the secondary, where depth is needed.
“I have been getting myself mentally and physically prepared. I have been doing a lot of running and a lot of skill work. I am just resting this week before I get there,” Marfo said. “I wanted to prevent any injuries prior to me getting there.”
Marfo spent last fall at Reedley Community College in Reedley, Calif., and it was not until this spring that he committed to Rutgers’ class of 2016.
The wait from then until now was a rather long one, according to Marfo, who will now have four years to play three.
“It was pretty long. I actually took an online class. One of my credits from junior college was not transferrable, so I took a course this spring semester. I finished with a pretty good grade so I am all squared.”
Marfo is a native of Alexandria, Va., so his transition to Rutgers will not cover as much distance as his previous move to California.
“It is not bad at all. I have a sister that loves 40 minutes from the campus,” Marfo said. “It’s just a great situation for me and I couldn’t be happier.”
Rutgers is also counting on Marfo to provide some help at the cornerback position.
“I talked to Coach Ash after being at one of the spring practices,” Marfo said. “He told me to expect to play and compete for a starting spot. He said ‘we are very high on you and we brought you in because we thought you could make a difference on defense.’ I like that.”
The 190-pound Marfo was no stranger to Rutgers over the last couple of months as he was in attendance for more than one spring practice as well as the spring game.
“I was actually at that last practice before the spring game, the walk-through they had in the stadium. I had an idea of how it went because I went to a practice before that during the spring ball session,” Marfo said. “I like how practice is run. It is pretty much what I expected, very fast paced. There is a lot of skill work, one-on-one stuff, and press man.
“I learned a great deal of the defense already. I spoke to coach [Aaron] Henry a couple of times. I am actually going to speak with him this week just to refresh my mind about the defense and the coverages.”
Marfo also believes preparation will be key to his future success at Rutgers.
“I am the type of person who likes to be prepared when I go into a game or go to take a test. Even if I am going on a trip, I like to be prepared. I like how the coaches set up the preparation on and off the field. That is a huge thing for me, preparation. And that is all up to you. I have just been working my butt off staying in shape. I am ready to give my all for Coach Ash and the whole Rutgers community.”