When Tulsa's coaching change came before last season, TU was fortunate that Tai Marks was among those that were in the "buy in" category.
As one of the 16 remaining scholarship players from when Kevin Wilson took over as head coach at TU before last season, Marks has become a team leader, and is the anchor of a young offensive line for the Golden Hurricane.
In his third year at Tulsa since transferring from Colorado State, Marks (6-1, 304, Sr.,) has mostly played guard, but also center. He is the expected starting center for Tulsa this season.
Marks understands that all players don't do well with coaching changes, and that some don't "buy in" to the new coaching staff.
"It wasn't easy for him (Wilson) or a lot of the coaches because you've got a lot of guys who were fighting against the grain, and you're swimming upstream," Marks said. "When you've got a lot of people doing that, it's not good.
"They were very resistant. So, it is hard for players because there were a lot of guys who didn't want to come in and do things right. I think no matter what, change is hard."
Many did accept the change well, including some graduated seniors who have exhausted their eligibility. For those returning players who are still at Tulsa, including Marks, who has two years of eligibility remaining, the future looks bright despite a tough first year.
"It was very challenging. At the end of the day, I felt like we had to weed out the bad fruits in a sense, people who didn't want to further the team and things like that," Marks said of the effects of the coaching change. "Coach had to do that, and some people hated him because of that, but the core of people who did stay around, we see what he was doing, we see the vision."
The vision for Marks is at center this season after starting 19 games at right guard the last two seasons. Even after only starting four games in the last two years at center, including three last season.
For Marks, it took starting the last two games at center in 2023 to realize it was a better fit. The more cerebral aspect of the position appeals to him.
"I would say I like center better. I'm not saying it is easier in a sense, but you're either kind of getting help or you’re helping somebody else," Marks said. "At guard, it is like you're on a man or waiting for somebody sometimes."
Without question, Marks feels like Wilson's coaching approach helps him.
"How it was run was very loose," Marks said of playing under Philip Montgomery. "It was player run. There was no structure. That's how I've always done in football (having structure). You need that.
"It benefits us, us older guys who have goals, and the younger guys who want to play. The structure helps out a lot."
Marks learned to embrace change in a different manner when he was at Colorado State. After staying two years at Colorado State, including playing 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, it was a new coaching staff that made it clear that Marks needed a new school.
