‘I’ve always been the underdog’: Former WSU, G-Prep standout Armani Marsh hits field with UFL’s Houston Roughnecks

BEDFORD, Texas – As an undersized defensive back at 5-foot-9, Armani Marsh is familiar with facing the long odds of success.

Yet all the Spokane native has done – whether it’s been at Gonzaga Prep, where he was part of a state championship team, or Washington State, where he developed from walk-on to defensive stalwart – is quickly turning skeptics into true believers.

Now, the 182-pound Marsh trying to do the same with the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks, whose season is off to a 1-2 start. Marsh had a tackle and a game-clinching fumble recovery in the Roughnecks’ 18-17 over the Memphis Showboats on Saturday.

“That’s just how my career has been. My whole life, I’ve always been undersized, not the most athletic,” said Marsh, who spent last summer and early fall on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2023. “I’ve always been the underdog, so I’ve always had to work my way up. That’s been my path, and I embrace it now.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s the beauty of it (that everyone’s football journey is different),” Marsh said during Houston’s camp last month.

He arrived in Pullman in 2017 after helping lead Gonzaga Prep to a State 4A football title his junior season.

“I wish we could have won back-to-back my junior and senior year,” he said.

A two-time All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention, Marsh started 31 of 46 games for the Cougars and left Pullman with 184 tackles and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

“I loved my time in Pullman,” Marsh said. “It was (a no-brainer to go there). That was a dream come true, to be able to suit up and play for the home state right down the road.”

In the UFL, he’s among three ex-WSU players – including receiver Brandon Arconado and defensive back Daniel Isom – trying to make NFL impressions.

“It’s really awesome seeing all the guys and catching up with them because it’s been a few years, a year or two since we’ve seen each other,” Marsh said of meeting up with ex-Cougars in the league. “We’re all out on the field chasing the same dream and chasing the same goal. It’s really cool.”

For Marsh, the goal started during camp last month when made a big impression on Houston coach CJ Johnson.

“Marsh brings toughness, athleticism, and he plays very well against slot receivers,” Johnson said. “He is very smart and plays physical.”

And now, as he vies for playing time in Houston’s secondary, he’s leaning on the skill set and tangibles that helped him thrive in high school and in college.

“I love being the vocal voice of the defense and just love the versatility of playing defensive back,” Marsh said. “You’re tackling running backs, you’re guarding tight ends, you’re guarding short, small wide receivers, tall wide receivers. I just like the versatility of the position and the challenge.

“I feel like DB is a really challenging position in football because you’re the last line of defense. So, when you mess up, not-so-good things happen. If anybody else messes up, we’re there to help and be that last line of defense.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.