Why is Marvin Harrison Jr. nicknamed Maserati Marv?

Arizona Cardinals fans will see the racecar emojis flying. They will hear new receiver and No. 4 overall draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr. be called “Maserati Marv.” But where’d the Ohio State product get his nickname?

It’s only about a year old and was bestowed upon the Buckeye by none other than FOX Sports play-by-play legend Gus Johnson.

Johnson’s call in an October 2023 game against Penn State latched on, for better or worse.

Gus Johnson's nickname for @MarvHarrisonJr– Maserati Marv – is iconic 🎙️ @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/fugM1O3Srr

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 21, 2023

Maserati Marv NEEDS to stick as the nickname for Marvin Harrison Jr., strictly just because it came out of nowhere

— The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast (@SolidVerbal) October 21, 2023

Me after the 2,000th Maserati Marv comment by Gus in the 1st quarter pic.twitter.com/Q4BFVtNF5J

— Wings (@MichiganWings) October 21, 2023

Harrison was asked after the game to evaluate the nickname, and he gave it a passing grade.

Months later, it’s still going strong.

🏎️YESSIR https://t.co/9lUUq9yB7u

— Marvin Harrison Jr. (@MarvHarrisonJr) April 26, 2024

Does Marvin Harrison Jr. deserve the nickname ‘Maserati Marv?’

For the uninitiated, yes, Harrison can fly. And we know that even though he skipped the NFL Draft Combine.

Harrison ran comparable — and perhaps even faster — GPS times to LSU speed burner Malik Nabers while on the football field this past season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. appreciation thread 🧵

Who needs a 40?@MarvHarrisonJr was clocked at 22.2 mph this season.

This would have been the second fastest ball-carrier time in NFL last yearpic.twitter.com/UDiSFmZqTa

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 21, 2024

No idea how to contextualize these GPS times yet but Marvin Harrison Jr. hit a max speed of 21.7, which is higher than Naber’s max this season.

(21.5 in the clip) https://t.co/jvaE3oZvRW pic.twitter.com/kYYVRWqF8U

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 26, 2024

Harrison brings (officially) 6-foot-3 height along with that speed. That was at least one advantage he had on the 6-foot Nabers.

Harrison piled up 1,263 yards in 2022 and then 1,211 in 2023 with 14 touchdowns in each of those seasons.

It isn’t just the speed for Harrison, though he told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman he expected to run a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash before he opted out of the draft combine. The measurements from Feldman’s annual “freaks list” that ranked Harrison No. 2 in all of college football heading into last season:

At 6-4, 208, the son of a Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver is remarkably gifted. He has everything. He’s very strong — he bench presses 380 pounds and did 20 reps of 225 on the bench and squatted 500. He’s very explosive, having broad-jumped 10 feet 8, and he’s really sudden, having clocked a 3.94 in the shuttle and improved on his max velocity from last year, up to 23.5 MPH. Asked for what training result he’s most proud of, he says it’s his 5-10-5, given his height and weight, yet still can run a sub-4-second time.

Maserati Marv seems here to stay with the Cardinals.

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