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Former Washington State defensive back, Spokane native Armani Marsh accepts invite to New York Jets rookie minicamp

Washington State nickel Armani Marsh celebrates after a play against Arizona State on Nov. 12 at Gesa Field in Pullman. Marsh has accepted an invite to the New York Jets' rookie minicamp. (James Snook/For The Spokesman-Review)
By Colton Clark coltonc@spokesman.com(208) 627-3209

Spokane native Armani Marsh is getting his NFL opportunity.

The former Washington State defensive back confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Monday that he has accepted an invitation to attend the New York Jets’ rookie minicamp, which will be staged later this week.

Marsh appeared in 46 games and made 31 starts during his WSU career. He earned All-Pac-12 recognition as an honorable mention in each of the past two seasons.

The Gonzaga Prep graduate finished his WSU career with 184 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 13 pass breakups and four interceptions. The most memorable moment of his collegiate career came late in the 2021 Apple Cup, when Marsh returned an interception for a touchdown to put a bow on the Cougars’ blowout win at Washington.

Marsh walked on at WSU in 2017 after wrapping up a standout career for the Bullpups. He redshirted as a true freshman and appeared sparingly in 2018, then earned three starts as a sophomore in 2019. Marsh became the Cougars’ fulltime starter at nickel during the 2020 season. He served as a team captain over the past two seasons and helped lead WSU’s defensive resurgence under coach Jake Dickert. Marsh distinguished himself as a strong tackler at WSU and often earned praise for his work ethic, intellect and leadership qualities.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder participated in WSU’s pro day on March 28. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds, and recorded a 33-inch vertical and a broad jump of 9-11. He impressed on the bench press, putting up 15 reps – better than the combine average for cornerbacks.

“I just want someone to give me an opportunity,” Marsh said after the pro day, “and whoever gets me to know that they’re going to get a consistent, dedicated, resilient player who just wants to be the best they can be – and a great teammate that can help an organization win. I’m just working as hard as I can to prepare, be conditioned and make sure everything is where it needs to be, so by the time I get to camp, I’ll be ready to put my best foot forward.”

Marsh will join former WSU teammate Derrick Langford Jr. in New York. Langford, who started every game at cornerback for the Cougars between 2021-22, signed an undrafted free -agent deal with the Jets on Saturday.

Former WSU defensive tackle Christian Mejia also accepted a rookie minicamp invitation Monday. He’ll work out for the Denver Broncos, according to a report from Matt Lombardo of HeavyOnSports.

Mejia appeared in 25 games, making 16 starts, over the past two seasons. The 6-3, 300-pounder tallied 52 tackles, 8½ TFLs, 3½ sacks and one interception during his Cougars career.

Mejia played in just three games across his first four seasons in Pullman, but developed into a key player in 2021 and was arguably WSU’s best defensive tackle over the past two years.

The Hawaii native was one of WSU’s top pro-day performers. He recorded 25 reps on the bench press and showed off his athleticism in the broad jump (9-6) and vertical jump (32½ inches). Mejia’s effort on the bench matched the fifth-highest rep count for DTs at the NFL combine. His broad and vertical jumps were better than all but two combine DTs.