'08 NY DE/TE Mikhail Marinovich (Syracuse signee)

[wadc45]

Rivals Profile
Scout Profile



New Berlin (NY) Milford Academy

Ht: 6-foot-6
Wt: 210 lbs
Forty: 4.5 secs

Originally Posted by Rivals Bio

He is the younger brother of former USC and Oakland Raider quarterback Todd Marinovich. Play tight end in high school for Juniper Sierra Catholic in California.

Rivals $

12/12

From the Pitt site...gives a recap of his official to Pitt. Visited Syracuse last weekend. Qualified out of HS but spent a semester at Milford to develop as a football player and has drastically improved and will enroll wherever in January. Visiting Miami (FL) this weekend.

[GoRU]

Marinovich is Orange - Orange Football Blog on syracuse.com

Mikhail Marinovich of Milford Academy has made a verbal commitment to play football at Syracuse University and plans to enroll for classes in January. Marinovich, who is the younger brother of former Southern California quarterback Todd Marinovich, picked the Orange over Miami, Pittsburgh and N.C. State.

Marinovich said Syracuse has spoke to him about a number of different positions including tight end, defensive end, outside linebacker and safety. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound player set a Milford record last season with 15 sacks and has 4.52 speed in the 40.

"I went to a lot of places," Marinovich said. "I really liked Coach Robinson the best. I can come out and say it now. His coaching style fits my personality. The facilities are great and the players are hungry."

Marinovich said he was lightly recruited coming out of high school in California and decided to attend Milford in order to raise his profile. He said SU assistant basketball coach Mike Hopkins used to train as a high school and college player under his father, Marv. He said that relationship was another factor in his decision to play for the Orange.

Syracuse coaches have spoken to Marinovich about playing the spinner role in the defensive scheme.

"I'm not trying to be another guy that's been through the ranks," Marinovich said. "I try to hold myself to a higher standard. If I'm playing defense, I'm shooting for that sack record or being all conference. If I'm playing offense, I'm going for the most yards. Whatever position, I'm shooting to be the best. I'm not shooting just to start."

Marinovich said his only offer coming out of J. Serra High School was to Delaware. He said a coach at a high school All-Star game in Shreveport, La., suggested he look into Milford. Marinovich said he hopped on an airplane and went to the Milford Academy campus in New Berlin, N.Y. He said the first few days were tough when he realized how remote and small his new environment was. He also realized it was his ticket to a better place.

Marinovich said he's trained off and on under his father, Marv. He said the system Syracuse uses to train was different from any other school - and it's a system he said is similar to the philosophy used by his dad.

"I didn't know a lot about it until I came there (on an official visit)," Marinovich said. "I liked the atmosphere a lot. The training program is good. They're doing lot of stuff other places aren't. You come to Miami and they're doing traditional weight lifting. Pitt's doing normal stuff. You have Syracuse doing agility stuff, really new age. It's a new style of thinking instead of the tradtional bench stuff.

"That was very important to me. I've been raised my whole life thinking - weights are good. But, you train slow you'll be slow. You train fast, you'll be fast. Syracuse has figured that out. A lot of pro teams are doing that. My dad is moving to train the Chargers. They're all slowly trying to come around."

Marinovich said last season at Milford was his first at trying to play defensive end.

"I didn't know how to do that," Marinovich said. "You play fast. You've got those big tackles that can't really move. Tackles are running 5 (second 40s. I run 4.52. It's really easier to run around those guys."

Marinovich said he liked the Syracuse coaches and players best because they were straight shooters.

"I'm telling yo,i when the recruits come out there and you see the atmosphere, a lot of coaches put on their Sunday best to talk to you," Marinovich said. "When you go to Syracuse, you get a different feeling. Syracuse tells you the truth.

"They're not coming in saying, we're the bes.t They didn't know they didn't have the best year. They know where they're at. There's a common goal - everyone wants to win. Everyone's hungry from last year. You don't have to brilng it up. Every recruit matters. We're all hungry."

"The defensive line coach (Derrick Jackson) is a great guy. It just fits my personality more than Miami and Pitt. I don't make decisions on win-loss records. I make decisions on how I fit and how I'll do iln the system. The guys they've got there are a great group of guys. They're all pretty much on the same page. This is our year. We're coming out."