Marcus Rayshon Spears (born March 8, 1983), nicknamed "Swagu", is an American former professional football player and analyst who was a defensive end for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, winning a national championship in 2003 and earning consensus All-American honors in 2004. Spears was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens.
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Early life
Spears was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was a highly sought after two-sport athlete in the country following his senior season at Southern University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge. On the high school football field, he was rated as the No. 1 tight end prospect in America and the third-best overall prospect after earning high school All-America honors. He was named first-team Class 1A all-state selection on both offense and defense following his senior season, becoming the first player to be honored on both in Louisiana since 1991. He finished his final prep season with 28 receptions for 435 yards and three touchdowns and 245 rushing yards and six touchdowns on offense and 22 tackles for losses, 11.5 quarterback sacks and four fumble recoveries on defense. Spears was also one of the nation's top basketball prospects. He was named Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year for Louisiana following his senior season. He played in the first ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl game on December 30, 2000.
College career
Spears attended Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Nick Saban's LSU Tigers football team from 2001 to 2004. He was initially recruited by LSU as a tight end but was soon moved to the defensive line. Spears played tight end, fullback and defensive end as a freshman in 2001, recording two catches for 20 yards on offense and eight tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss on defense. His play earned him freshman All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors as a tight end.
The 2002 season marked his first as a full-time defensive player, in which he recorded 46 tackles, 16 quarterback pressures, 3.5 tackles for losses and three sacks. In 2003, during LSU's national championship season, Spears contributed 49 tackles, 23 quarterback pressures, 13 tackles for losses, six sacks and six passes defensed to earn First-team All-SEC honors. Playing against the Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl, Spears returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 21–7 advantage in their 21–14 victory.
During his 2004 senior season, Spears put together a career year, earning first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, and AP, and second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated, first-team All-SEC honors, and was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award. He finished the year tying his career-high in tackles (49) while setting career-highs for tackles for losses (17) and sacks (nine, a figure that ranks fourth in the LSU single-season records). He also recorded 21 quarterback pressures to help the Tigers finish the year third in the country in total defense.
In April 2021, Spears was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2005 NFL draft with two first round draft choices. Spears was considered by head coach Bill Parcells to be the key to the team's eventual move to a 3–4 defense and wanted to take him with the first selection (11th overall pick). However, owner/GM Jerry Jones overruled Parcells and drafted DeMarcus Ware instead, who the team thought would not be available later in the draft. Spears was eventually selected by the Cowboys with the 20th overall pick.
Spears suffered from injury problems in his first two training camps. In his first training camp in 2005 as a rookie, he sprained his right knee and ankle while straining his calf. He missed the first three preseason games but bounced back in time for the final preseason game and recorded three tackles and a sack.
He started the season as a backup in the team's 4-3 defense but moved into a right defensive end starting role midway through the season, to earn All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly. His 35 tackles were 12th on the team – third among linemen and rookies, while his six quarterback pressures were fourth. He also added 1.5 sacks and a pass defended.
In his NFL debut at the San Diego Chargers, Spears was in the defensive line rotation but did not record a tackle. He recorded his first sack – one he split with Greg Ellis – and his first career tackle against the Washington Redskins. Spears then led all defensive linemen with four tackles at the San Francisco 49ers. He helped limit the Philadelphia Eagles to 129 yards, including just 19 rushing, the fourth lowest in franchise history. Spears earned his first NFL start at defensive end at the Seattle Seahawks and responded with three tackles and a batted pass while helping limit Shaun Alexander, the NFL's leading rusher to 21 carries for 61 yards (2.9 avg.). He officially moved into the starting lineup full-time against the Arizona Cardinals and led all linemen with four tackles. Spears logged his third career start in Philadelphia and posted a season-high seven tackles to lead all linemen and finish second on the team. He had a three-tackle game at the New York Giants. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Spears recorded four and a fumble recovery. With 1:16 remaining in the first half and Dallas trailing 14–10, Spears scooped up a Trent Green fumble at the Cowboys 15-yard line and returned it 59 yards to the Chiefs 26-yard line. It was the eighth-longest return in franchise history and the longest ever by a Dallas rookie. Three plays later, Drew Bledsoe completed a pass to Jason Witten for a touchdown and a 17–14 halftime lead. In Washington, Spears recorded three tackles. In the season finale against the St. Louis Rams, he recorded two tackles and his first solo sack of the season.
Baltimore Ravens
On March 15, 2013, Spears signed a two-year, $3.55 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. On October 30, 2013, he was waived after registering 10 tackles as a reserve defensive end.
NFL career statistics
Charitable work
Spears was actively involved in community service projects during his time at LSU. As a rookie, Spears was a member of the Cowboys 2005 Rookie Club, a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service in the Dallas area which included work with The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas and Meals on Wheels. In the spring, Spears was a co-chair, along with teammate DeMarcus Ware, for the second annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Dallas Cowboys Tailgate Party at Abacus restaurant that benefited The North Texas Food Bank. The event raised enough money to provide 330,000 meals to North Texans in need.
Personal life
Spears and his wife, retired WNBA player Aiysha Smith, have three children: Cari (born 2007), Marcus Jr. (born 2009), and Miko (born 2013). Cari was ranked the top volleyball recruit in the class of 2025 and plays in college for the Texas Longhorns, while Marcus Jr. was ranked one of the top basketball recruits in the class of 2027 and reclassified to the class of 2026 to play in college for the Texas Longhorns.
Marcus is a Christian who attends TD Jakes' church in Texas.
TV career
In August 2014, Spears became a co-host of SEC Nation, the SEC/ESPN Network's flagship show. SEC Nation is a weekly college football preview show offering insight into upcoming national and SEC football games.
He is a regular contributor to the Paul Finebaum Show, broadcast daily on the SEC Network. He is affectionately referred to as "The Big Swagu".
In 2015, Spears began hosting a TV show called DFW Outdoorsman The show covers hunting, fishing, and other similar activities in the North Texas area.
Beginning with the 2017 college football season, Spears began hosting Thinking Out Loud on the SEC Network with former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.
Spears now appears regularly on ESPN morning shows Get Up!, First Take, and its flagship NFL studio show, NFL Live. Spears does Monday Night Countdown before Monday Night Football.