Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Marlowe Wax returned to his hometown of Baltimore recently to host a youth football camp at Mount Saint Joseph.
“It meant the world to me just to have all those kids out there, see the smiles on their faces,” Wax said on Glenn Clark Radio June 30. “Letting them know that I was a kid just like them and me showing that it’s possible for a guy making out where they made it out to be able to be in the NFL, it meant everything.”
Wax said his inspiration for giving back came from former Ravens, Browns and Saints running back Terrance West, a product of Northwestern High School and Towson University.
“I remember going to his camps when I was younger because my brother grew up with him,” Wax said. “I used to always look up to him because that was one of the guys who was really from Baltimore City to make it out and play in the NFL.”
Wax played football at Mount Saint Joseph before moving on to Syracuse University. While at Syracuse, Wax recorded 338 tackles and 21 sacks in 57 games across five seasons. Wax was not selected in the NFL Draft following his career at Syracuse but signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent.
The 6-foot-1, 236-pound linebacker says his experience at Mount Saint Joseph set him up for where he is in the NFL today. Wax played in 17 games as a rookie in 2025, recording 21 tackles (11 solo).
“I have those conversations with guys from all over the world in the locker room … just me really letting them know how different it is coming up in Baltimore and how certain coaches might not be coming to Baltimore to recruit certain guys,” Wax said. “You might not get the same amount of looks or anything. It’s just looked down upon when it’s talked about football or other sports, really.”
Wax added that head coach Jim Harbaugh helped him carve out the details of the player Wax wanted to be. Wax contributed on special teams throughout his rookie season.
“At first it started as somebody that’s going to show up every day, work hard, who’s going to be coachable and everything. I made sure that I was knocking those things off,” Wax said. “And then when it came to competition … I made sure I was going to find ways that players might not be thinking about but I knew the coaches were going to love.
“So I was making sure I was meeting with the special teams coach every day. I made sure that special teams was a leading factor for me and that the coaches knew that I love special teams, I really cared for it.”
Wax thinks that the new head coach of his hometown Ravens will be everything the city is looking for. Prior to being named the Ravens head coach ahead of the 2026 season, Jesse Minter was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator in 2024 and 2025, coaching Wax in the latter season.
“He’s a guru. He’s a genius,” Wax said. “He’s going to make sure the defense is flying around, but also he’s going to be that coach at the office that the offensive players can come to and talk to and just have fun with and have a conversation with, so they’re going to feel comfortable when they’re stepping on the field.
“They’re going to feel that their coach really has their back in any situation. They’re going to really try to play for him because it’s going to be a family-oriented organization now and I just know he’s got those guys fired up come every Sunday.”
For more from Wax, watch the full interview here: