Josh Paschal knew God did not give him more than he could deal with and turns out he was right

Vince Marrow knew the first time he saw Josh Paschal play that he was a special player. (UK Athletics Photo)

It seems like every player that Vince Marrow recruits for Kentucky that he develops a personal connection with the player and his family. However, it was different with Josh Paschal, especially when the former UK defensive lineman found out he had cancer.

“The day Josh found out he had cancer we were going to church as a team,” said Marrow. “I still remember Josh Allen asking, ‘Why did this happen to him?’ That brought a typical Josh Paschal answer when he said, ‘I’m fine. God had this happen to me because I could deal with it.’ At the time he was crying because he was in pain and on crutches.

“He was in so much pain that I had to take him to church. I remember then telling him three years from now we are going to be having a good time and you are going to be drafted and we are going to remember this day and laugh about it. It was a dark time.  Nobody really knew what to say. We weren’t even thinking about football really and that’s one reason this guy is so special to me.”

It happened, too, when the Detroit Lions picked Paschal, a rare three-time team captain at UK in the second round and his four-year contract should be worth about $8 million.

“I told Josh all those schools wanted you (to play for them in college) and we showed you how much we loved you,” Marrow said. “The Lions were just like that. They loved everything about him.

“This was quite a journey. Let’s just say God was good. This young man is going to be a great NFL player. Just watch what he does.”

Marrow said when he watched Paschal play in high school he reminded him of his former Buffalo Bills teammate Bruce Smith, a legendary NFL defensive lineman.

“I texted Mark (Stoops) immediately and said this guy is so explosive. Alabama and Ohio State guys were next to me,” Marrow said. “I still think he should have gone in the first round. He’s that good.

“For some reason, people think we ain’t recruiting four- or five-star guys. We are. Josh had some adversity but he was a high-profile player and we were with this kid from start to finish. That’s why his mom and dad are always going to tell recruits what we did with their son.”