Lee Marks | University of Memphis
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Team: University of Memphis
Organization: NCAA Football
Position: Running Backs
League: American
Hometown: Woodland Hills, CA
Organization: NCAA Football
Position: Running Backs
League: American
Hometown: Woodland Hills, CA
Biography
Lee Marks enters his first season as the running backs coach for Memphis in 2024. Head coach Ryan Silverfield announced his hiring on March 4, 2024. Marks comes to Memphis after serving as the assistant head coach and running backs coach at Washington the past two seasons.
“We could not be more excited to add Lee Marks to our staff,” Silverfield said. “Lee is very well regarded in college football as one of the very best running backs coaches in the country. His experience and ability to build relationships will make him a tremendous addition to our program.”
In 2023 with the Huskies, Marks helped guide the team to a 14-1 record, the first undefeated Pac-12 conference record in school history, a Pac-12 Championship title and a berth in the CFP National Championship. As a team, Washington ranked 12th in total offense (462.1) and 13th in scoring offense (36.0) in the NCAA.
Running back Dillon Johnson earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors after rushing for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 1,000-yard season was the 23rd in UW history and he ranked sixth in the nation in rushing touchdowns and 21st in rushing yards.
Following the season, Johnson earned an invitation to the NFL Combine, marking three-straight seasons that a running back under the coaching of Marks has earned an invite.
“My family and I are excited to join the University of Memphis football program and look forward to making Memphis our new home,” Marks said at the time of his hiring. “This program has a rich history of winning and developing great players. I am excited to bring my hunger and grit to this team. We’re #ALLIN to win championships.”
In his first year at UW in 2022, Marks helped guide the Husky offense to some of its highest heights as Washington led the nation in both passing offense (369.8 yards per game) and third-down conversions (57 percent) while also finishing second in total offense (515.8 yards per game). Just one season earlier, Washington finished the season 73rd in pass offense and 114th in total offense.
The Huskies also had top-25 finishes in sacks allowed (2nd), first downs (5th), scoring offense (7th), and rushing offense (25th). Washington's top-two running backs – Wayne Taulapapa and Cameron Davis – combined to rush for 1,427 yards and 24 rushing TDs, and Husky backs didn't lose a single fumble the entire season.
Marks came to UW from Fresno State, where he worked the last two seasons as assistant head coach, run game coordinator and running backs coach.
Following Kalen DeBoer's departure for UW, Marks was named Fresno State's interim head coach and led the Bulldogs to a win over UTEP in the 2021 New Mexico Bowl.
Marks, a former second-team All-WAC running back at Boise State (2001-05), began his coaching career as a strength & conditioning coach at Colorado before moving to Sioux Falls the year after DeBoer's departure, in 2010, when he worked as a graduate assistant.
After a year as running backs coach at South Dakota State (where he coached 2,000-yard rusher and future NFL player Zach Zenner) and another as a strength & conditioning coach at Arkansas State, Marks returned to his alma mater as a strength coach in 2014.
In 2015, he took over as the Broncos' running backs coach and held that position through 2019, adding the title of director of special teams in 2019. In 2015, he coached Boise State's Jeremy McNichols, who rushed for 1,337 yards and 20 touchdowns. The following year, McNichols rushed for 1,709 yards and 27 scores before being drafted by Tampa Bay.
He coached 1,000-yard rushers each of the following three seasons as well, as Alexander Mattison ran for 1,086 in 2017 and 1,415 in 2018. Mountain West Freshman of the Year George Holani kept that streak alive with 1,014 rushing yards in 2019.
After DeBoer was named head coach at Fresno State before the 2020 season, Marks was named the Bulldogs' assistant head coach, run game coordinator and running backs coach. Marks coached Ronnie Rivers, a first-team All-MWC running back in 2020, who finished his career as Fresno State's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.
In 2021, Marks was part of an offensive staff that saw Fresno State finish first in the MWC and 14th in the nation in total offense (464.8 yards per game), and second in the conference and 26th in FBS in scoring (30.5 points per game).
In 2020, his running backs group was led by first team All-Mountain West selection Ronnie Rivers. Before suffering an injury in the second-to-last game of the season, Rivers was one of two MW backs averaging over 100 rushing yards per game, and led the conference in all-purpose yards (163.8/game) and scoring (10.8/game).
Marks joined the Fresno State football staff for the 2020 season following six seasons at Boise State.
Marks initially returned to his alma mater in 2014, serving as assistant strength and conditioning coach. Before returning to Boise State, Marks spent the 2013 season as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Arkansas State, where Bryan Harsin served as head coach. There, the Red Wolves earned a share of the Sun Belt Conference title and a victory in the GoDaddy Bowl.
He joined A-State after serving as running backs coach at South Dakota State in 2012. The Jackrabbits ranked as high as No. 21 in the Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision Poll, producing a 9-4 overall record during Marks’ lone season in Brookings.
Marks oversaw the efforts of All-America running back Zach Zenner, who rushed for 2,044 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 28 receptions for another 197 yards. He topped 100 yards in nine games and rushed for 200-plus yards three times, including a school-record 295 yards in a win over Eastern Illinois.
Prior to working at South Dakota State, Marks spent two seasons as a graduate assistant that worked with the running backs at the University of Sioux Falls. The high-powered Cougar offense ranked second in the NAIA in total points (577) during the 2010 season and ranked 18th in rushing yards (2,254).
Before joining the Sioux Falls staff, Marks spent three seasons at Colorado, where he served as an assistant speed and strength and conditioning coach.
During his playing career at Boise State, Marks twice led the Broncos in rushing. He accumulated 1,773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over his final two seasons as a starter and helped lead the Broncos to four bowl games. He was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection and was the team's offensive most valuable player in 2005.
He later played one season with the Boise Burn of the Arena Football League.
A product of Taft High in Woodland Hills, Calif., Marks earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Boise State in 2007, and a master's degree in education from Sioux Falls in 2011. He and his wife, Kim, are the parents of two children: Liam and Logan.
Marks At A Glance
Alma Mater Boise State, 2007; Sioux Falls, 2011
Playing Experience Boise State (2001-05)
Running Back
Two-time All-WAC honoree
Played one season with AFL's Boise Burn
Family Wife - Kim
Children - Liam, Logan
Coaching Experience
Colorado Assistant Speed and Strength & Conditioning Coach (2007-09)
Sioux Falls Offensive Graduate Assistant (2010-11)
South Dakota State Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2012)
Arkansas State Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning (2013)
Boise State Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach (2014)
Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2015-18)
Assistant Coach, Running Backs/Director of Special Teams (2019)
Fresno State Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator/Running Backs (2020-21)
Washington Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs (2022-23)
Memphis Assistant Coach, Running Backs (2024-Present)
Bowl Coaching Experience
2015 Poinsettia Bowl
2016 Cactus Bowl
2017 Las Vegas Bowl
2018 First Responder Bowl
2019 Las Vegas Bowl
2021 New Mexico Bowl
2022 Alamo Bowl
2023 CFP National Championship
Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
