Simply golden

HOOVER

Having served as a defensive coach at Miami during the pinnacle of the Hurricanes dynasty, Tommy Tuberville has seen plenty of defensive talent.

So when Tuberville says a player reminds him of Warren Sapp, who he coached at Miami, the 10th-year Auburn head coach knows what he's talking about.

And when Auburn defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks walked into the room, sat and flashed his smile - his golden grill and all - he immediately gave reporters a glimpse of Tuberville's comparison.

"I like to talk," Marks said through his trademark smile. "If y'all are going to sit around and listen, I'll talk all day."

He lived up to his word.

Marks gleefully played along as interview topics ranged from preseason expectations to taking up golf to his experience with Playboy after he was named to the magazine's All-America team.

That - along with soundbites such as Florida "putting a good win on our schedule every year" - is all part of the Sen'Derrick Marks experience.

To Auburn reporters, Marks' exuberance is nothing new, but Marks seems poised to take his show nationwide, and the campaign has already began.

Marks agreed to provide The Sporting News with a weekly journal, though he admitted he has never kept a journal and hasn't always thought to highly of them.

"I grew up thinking writing diaries was for females," he said.

In the opposite corner of the room, Auburn center Jason Bosley said he's excited to read Marks' diary, mostly so he can make fun of him "if he writes something stupid."

Marks' agreement with The Sporting News is only the newest evidence that he is quickly establishing himself as a high-profile player with a high-profile personality.

He's starting to get the hype as well. Both the media and coaches made Marks a preseason first-team all-SEC choice.

When ESPN.com's Todd McShay released a mock 2009 NFL Draft, he projected Marks fifth overall. Marks is only a junior, but McShay thinks the Auburn star will have such a strong season that he will forego his final year of eligibility.

Still, in very anti-Sapp fashion, Marks shrugs off his preseason accolades.

"It means someone thinks I'm good," he said. "I have to go out and do what I'm expected to do. People have high expectations of me, so I have to go out there and play better ball."

This year, Marks will move back inside to defensive tackle, where he played as a redshirt freshman. Last season, he started at strong side defensive end and moved inside to tackle on passing situations.

Marks said the move helped elevate his skills.

"I learned a lot of different techniques on the outside that I didn't really learn on the inside, but a lot of that I can use on the inside and a lot of it I will use," he said. "It could really improve my game a lot."

Most of Marks' talk is good-natured. For opposing offensive guards and centers, though, an improved Marks could be terrifying.

Tuberville said Marks' willingness to move around is the type of attitude coaches hope for.

"He'll play anywhere - he'll play linebacker," Tuberville said. "I think he's a good promoter of our program."

Marks was asked about the Sapp comparison, and in typical style, he shot down the thesis and offered up one of his own.

"Coach Tubs said I was (like Sapp), but I don't think so. I'm more a Glenn Dorsey guy," Marks said of the fifth overall pick in last April's NFL Draft.

By season's end, he might have the name recognition - and the draft status.