AUBURN, Ala. – Prior to starting college, Marquel Harrell was already paving his own path to stand part from his peers. Not only was he a top prospect and state champion in football, he was also a letterman in basketball and threw shot put for his school track team.
But that only told half the story. Harrell was way more than just an athlete in high school. He was an all-star student in the classroom, serving as vice president of his National Honor Society. He was an active member of the FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America). And he's fluent in French.
It's been more of the same at Auburn where Harrell, now in his fifth year on the Plains, has continued to make an impact on and off the field.
"I linked up with some outstanding and charismatic people that attended Auburn before committing and, after talking with them, I thought Auburn was a perfect place to mold me into the man I wanted to be -- education and career-wise for football," Harrell said.
The senior has maintained his focus in the classroom, receiving SEC academic honor roll recognition every year leading up to this past May when he graduated with a degree in education. He's currently working toward a second degree in nutrition.
Like all seniors, Harrell can't believe that he's about to embark on his final year.
"I used to make fun of all the guys that came back for their fifth year and call them old men," he said. "Now that I am back for my fifth year, I sit back and laugh because of how the tables have turned -- I'm the old man now.
"I have a tremendous respect for everything because I do not have the luxury of coming back in December to train with the team. Everything I do now, I have to leave it all on the table, so when it is all said and done, I will not have any regrets when I leave."
As the "old man," Harrell has adopted the role of mentor to his younger teammates and laughs at their excitement, remembering that feeling when he first was introduced to the experience that is the Auburn Family.
"Coming in as a freshman, you feel the recruitment from the Auburn Family, especially on social media, but you really don't understand it until you get here and meet all your brothers," Harrell said. "For me, that's not just on the football team, but in the classroom and from other sports as well. It gives you that big family feeling."
Harrell knows first-hand the support the Auburn Family has for one another. From his first year when he redshirted to beating Georgia and Alabama in 2017, he's experienced the rollercoaster ride that is SEC football and everything that goes along with being a student-athlete.
"I tell the guys that you have to persevere and keep a positive mentality," he said. "You have to understand that you have been brought here for a reason and that you have not done it alone. Even if football is not your future, you are at the best university, getting the best education, and you are a part of a family that will support you and provide you what you need to better yourself every day.
"I always feel like we are an 'everything school.' Every other sport is doing so well, and it just reflects the Auburn Family because we all support each other no matter what."
This fall, it's football's turn to make a run. Harrell has set some pretty lofty goals for the upcoming season that include winning the SEC championship and then the national championship. Individually, he wants to earn First Team All-SEC honors and become a top NFL draft pick.
"With relentless effort and being the team we want to be, I believe the hard work from the spring and summer will connect all the pieces to make those ambitions happen for all of us," Harrell said.
One thing is certain. Nobody is going to outwork Harrell and his teammates.
The 6-foot-3, 309-pound offensive lineman was not nearly as big or as strong when he first arrived at Auburn. He was 17 years old, and seeing his teammates who were 21 and 22 years old, he knew he had to work to become as big, as strong and as fast if he wanted to compete and play with them. So that's exactly what he did.
"Seeing my growth from my first summer to going through my last summer right now has been amazing," Harrell said. "Auburn has prepared me due to the hard work and given me the attitude to never quit and outwork the opponent at anything. If I am flipping burgers, I will be the best burger flipper. If I am mopping floors, I'm going to mop the floors until you can see your reflection.
"I have that mentality when it comes to anything because Auburn has instilled in me the mindset of how you do one thing is how you do everything."
On the field, that hard work has helped Harrell become a force to be reckoned with. But off the field, he's an equal match. He's achieved many things during his time at Auburn, and as he prepares for his last season as a Tiger, he is fully aware that this will be the last ride and knows the bittersweet feeling that comes with that.
"I know when I'm asked what I am going to miss most that if I say everything, it is going to be cliché, but I am honestly going to miss everything about Auburn," Harrell said
"I am going to miss going to class, the summer workouts, morning conditioning, even fall camp because during that time I am with my brothers and you share the love through the grind. I am going to miss my coaches and playing in the best stadium in the world and everything about Auburn because it will never be the same as it is now as a student-athlete. You can always come back – and I will – but I am going to miss it."