Former Rebels Taylor, Roditis Make Moves During College Transfer Portal

Former McKenzie High School football standouts Marquez Taylor and Stafford Roditis will continue their college careers with new teams following moves during the recent transfer portal.

Marquez and Stafford are the sons of Spiros and Sandi Roditis.

Marquez, a running back, graduated from MHS in 2023 and attended Austin Peay State University (APSU) in Clarksville for one semester as a redshirt for the Governors. The team’s coach, Scotty Walden, departed for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and Marquez was among those to follow.

During four semesters at UTEP, Marquez was redshirted for one football season and exhausted one season of eligibility with the Miners.

Over the winter break, Marquez considered several options and made the decision to join the Wolves of the University of Western Georgia (UWG) in Carrollton, Georgia (yes, in Carroll County).

Marquez was recruited and recommended by Kade Glenn, a coach for UWG who had been on the coaching staffs of both APSU and UTEP while Marquez was on the roster.

The Wolves compete in the NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in the United Athletic Conference (UAC).

Marquez is a Physical Education major planning to teach and coach after college.

Stafford, a kicker and punter, graduated from McKenzie a year later in 2024 and attended Bethel University for three semesters. He was redshirted one football season and played in another.

He also spent the recent winter break contemplating his next move and is now enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

He was recruited by special teams coordinator TJ Jefferson and will play for the Skyhawks this fall.

The Skyhawks compete in the NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

A math major at Bethel, Stafford is now pursuing a career as a biomedical engineer.

Sandi told The Banner that both young men are excited about their new schools and teams.

Sandi and Spiros are also thrilled. Though Carrollton is a six-hour drive, El Paso was three times that at 18 hours. And though Martin is technically farther than their two-block walk to Bethel, Stafford had considered schools much farther.