Football | 10/27/2017 9:46:00 AM

By Duane Cochran for FightingFalcons.com

Long before Marcus Porter cemented his reputation as one of the best linebackers in the Mountain East Conference he was a dominating terror in another sport – soccer.
 
On one hand it's a bit hard to imagine someone who has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses the last four years for Fairmont State's nationally-ranked defense being a standout in youth soccer. However, given the fact that Marcus Porter isn't your average athlete it's also completely understandable.
 
"I had some injuries when I was young like a broken leg one year and a separated shoulder another and I really didn't play youth football," Porter said. "I didn't believe in myself and my talents as a football player. I played soccer at first and I was pretty good."
 
His soccer coaches were his parents Anton and Ivy Porter, but they never pressured their sons, Marcus and younger brother Michael, a sophomore starting cornerback at FSU, to do anything athletically.
 
"My parents were never the type to push sports on me or my brother because some of their friends had kids and those parents kind of pushed sports on their kids and then they ended up hating them or burning out on them at a young age," Porter said. "My parents have always let us make our own choices. The only area we didn't have a choice in was school and school work. We were taught early on that education was our top priority and that it was a privilege to play sports.
 
"Looking back I appreciate that now more than I can say. My brother and I are blessed to have wonderful parents who have supported us every step of the way in whatever we've done. I can't thank them enough for that."
 
Ivy Porter was against her sons playing football early on during their youth. Only a few years after the family had moved from Washington D.C. to Accokeek, Md. when Marcus was nine and Michael seven did she permit them to try football. Marcus got injured and left the game for several years, while Michael went on to excel as a youth football standout. Michael's success on the gridiron helped to re-ignite in Marcus the desire to play again and as a freshman at Gwynn Park High School he returned to the game.
 
"Marcus had some tough years in youth football because he got injured and I know that was frustrating for him," Michael Porter said. "For me youth football was some of my best years. I was pretty successful and to his credit he was always there to cheer me on. Honestly, I didn't know how good of a football player he was or could be because the one year he did play he played offensive line.
 
"He was away from the game for a while and I think my success kind of made him miss the game and want to return to it and thankfully he did because he went on to have a very good high school career and an even better one here in college. I love my brother and I'm very proud of what he's been able to accomplish here at Fairmont State during his career."
 
The elder Porter does indeed credit his younger brother for igniting the spark in him to want to play football again. He also says his high school trainer, Ricky Tripplet, helped to really prepare him to play and play at a high level.
 
"I had a trainer my freshman year in high school who believed in me right off the bat and saw potential in me," Porter said. "He started training me and as a result my body started to mature, get bigger and stronger. He always made sure I was doing the right things too in terms of eating and going to class and all of that kind of stuff. I can't thank him enough for looking out for me and pushing me in this direction.
 
"Prior to my senior year I never dreamed I'd have the chance to play college football. I was really just focusing on getting my grades in order so I could just attend college and get an education."
 
Porter, though, had an outstanding senior season of football at Gwynn Park and because of it offers to play college football came, including one from Fairmont State.
When Porter arrived at FSU in August of 2014 he weighed 260 pounds and to better take advantage of his talents and get him on the field quicker he was moved from linebacker to rush defensive end. He played four games there as a backup and recorded nine total tackles in those four games.
 
Because of an injury to FSU's mike linebacker and because Concord, who at the time was one of the top running teams in the nation was coming to town in week five, he was moved to mike linebacker. It's a move that has proved extremely beneficial to both Fairmont's defense and Porter. He recorded a game-high 11 tackles that afternoon and went on to have four more double-digit tackle performances in the Falcons' final five games. He ended up leading FSU in tackles as a true freshman with 69 and was an honorable mention All-MEC selection.
 
Since then Porter, who has dropped some 40 pounds off of his 6-foot frame, has led Fairmont State in tackles every season, including this year with a team-high 69 in eight games. Eleven times during his career he's recorded double-digit tackles and 27 times he's had eight or more stops. A first-team All-MEC selection last season, Porter also been the cornerstone of a defense which over the course of the last 20 games dating back to last fall has become of the better units in NCAA Division II.
 
"I'm truly blessed," Porter said. "I'm so glad I chose to focus on this path and to work hard to make myself a better player. Look where it's led me. I'm so glad I chose Fairmont State. I've made lifelong friends here with my teammates, the coaching staff, other students and several reporters. I'm also a member of a fraternity that I'm thankful to be a part of.
 
"It's funny. I vividly remember a time when none of this was on my mind. Now, to look back and see where I've come from and where I've gone to and where this team has gone to – it's humbling. Like I said I'm blessed to have had the career that I have.
 
"I'm thankful to coach Freddie Ford (a former standout linebacker at Concord University) my high school linebackers coach for teaching me how to play the position first and to coach (Ron) Rankin for helping me to expand upon it here and really take my game to another level."
 
There's little doubt that Porter is FSU's vocal and emotional leader. Proof of that can be found by just watching him on game days.
 
"He's definitely one of the top linebackers I've had the privilege to coach during my career," said Rankin, FSU's veteran defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
 
"He's the heart and soul of our defense. I've told Marcus this. I've told the defense this and pretty much the whole team as Marcus goes so does our team go. He's a very vocal person who isn't afraid to say anything to anyone.
 
"The biggest thing I've seen from him is his maturity as a player and a person in the three years I've been here. He wants to improve and has always allowed himself to be coached. He's a very emotional player and he's had to learn to keep those emotions in check so it doesn't hurt him or the team and he's done that. He's a great leader for us. Our guys respect him and follow him. I thank God everyday that I've got a player like him on my defense. It certainly makes my job a little easier."
 
Porter says his leadership skills for the Falcons come naturally because of his experiences within the game.
 
"I never thought of myself as a leader until my coaches in high school told me one day you're our leader," Porter said. "They said people look up to you and will follow you. When I got here I just tried to expand upon the traits I had learned in high school. I don't believe you just appoint yourself as a leader. You earn that right by doing things the right way, by working hard and holding yourself and others to higher standards.
 
"I feel like I've been in every type of a situation on a football team. I've been the youngest player. I've been the worst player. I've been a scout player. I've been the first player off of the bench and I've been a starter. I've also now been a captain at every level and it's those experiences, I believe, which help me to lead this team. I can relate to what everyone on our team is going through because at some point in my career I've been there. I talk to everyone in the same manner."
 
Porter currently ranks fifth in Fairmont State history in solo tackles with 189 and eighth in school history in total tackles with 310. He also needs just four more tackles for losses to rank in the top 10 in school history in that category as well. He says a deep-rooted fear of losing drives him on the field to always play his best.
 
"Both my brother and I don't like losing," he said. "We've always been like that. It's what drives us. I don't like the feeling of losing. When I first started playing football one of the first things I learned as a defensive player was that we had to get the ball back either by stopping the offense or turning them over. That's still my basic philosophy.
 
"When I'm on the field I do not want to lose. It's my biggest fear and it's what personally motivates me to give my best every single play."
 
Porter is majoring in exercise science and in the future would like to work in some capacity as a strength coach. However, that may have to wait a few years if he gets an opportunity to play at the next level. This fall several National Football League scouts have been on FSU's campus to look at standout senior defensive end Quincy Redmon. While they've been there they've also taken notice of Porter.
 
"I know the NFL is a long shot, but once our season is over I'm going to train in hopes of getting a shot at some level whether it's the NFL, the Canadian League or arena ball," Porter said. "I love this game and I want to try to play it as long as I can and as long as I can be effective doing it."
 
For now, though, Porter and his FSU teammates are focused on the task at hand which is slowing a very dangerous West Virginia State offense which will invade Duvall-Rosier Field Saturday for an important 4 p.m. MEC showdown. Both teams are 5-3 overall and hoping to finish their seasons at 8-3.
 
"Our losses this year were tough for me to take," Porter said. "This season hasn't gone how we would have liked, but in talking to my father he told me 'You have the responsibility to help lead this team back and to help it finish the best that it can. You're going to leave it in better shape than what you found it in.'
 
"I know he's right. I'm proud of how far we've come as a program the last three years. Hopefully we started a tradition here and the guys coming back next year will carry it on. I'm confident they will. There's a great group of guys in that locker room. I'm just happy I've had the chance to go to battle with them."