Marshall Football Preview 2025: How Fast Can the Thundering Herd Rebuild?

Miami Herald

05-06-2025

How do you go from what Marshall pulled off in 2024 to a complete and total rebuild that fast?The Herd got red hot, ripped through a relatively weak conference slate, won the game it had to pull off at James Madison, and shut down Louisiana cold for a 31-3 victory for the Sun Belt title.The ten-win season was the first since the Doc Holliday days of 2015, and then head coach Charles Huff took the Southern Miss job. Almost everyone jumped into the portal, there weren't enough guys around to play the bowl game, and now Marshall is starting from scratch.
52-year-old Tony Gibson has never been a head coach. He comes in after spending the last six seasons as NC State's defensive coordinator, and yeah, he might have to work his way into the gig.It's not his fault. At last count, over 25 players had left through the portal. It could come together fast. If the running game finds a groove right away, the schedule is manageable enough to come up with a shocker of a strong first campaign under Gibson.Going 0-12 wouldn't be a total stunner, either, considering it's not just about the new faces, there's woefully little overall time logged in at the FBS level among the protected starters.
Marshall Thundering Herd Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- Welcome to the Jacksonville State Thundering Herd. Former Gamecock offensive coordinator Rod Smith made the move over to Marshall after helping to lead one of the nation's most interesting and dangerous attacks. This is all starting from scratch, but …
- They have a few nice quarterbacks. Zion Turner was in the Jax State system last year, but didn't play much. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (Syracuse) is a dangerous option who'll get every shot at the job with the all-around skills to step in right away. For comparison, last year's Gamecock quarterback Tyler Huff ran for 1,344 yards and 15 scores, and …
- This system will hammer the hot running back. Tre Stewart led Jacksonville State with 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns, and now it's up to Michael Allen (UNLV) and Jo'Shon Barbie (McNeese State) to combine forces. Both averaged over five yards per carry last season for their respective schools.
- There's more continuity on the offensive line than anywhere else on the team, at least in the interior with Logan Osburn back at center and Jalen Slappy a veteran guard to work around. 348-pound Shunmarkus Adams should be set at the other guard spot. The tackles are coming from the portal - 6-9, 356-pound Tyler McDuffie (Hampton) should be the best of the lot.- The Herd have a star in tight end Toby Payne - he needs the ball more. He tied for the team lead with six touchdown catches, but all of the other receivers of note are gone. Demarcus Lacey (Jacksonville State) has speed on the outside. 6-3, 200-pound Antonio Harmon got in a little work at Mississippi State, and Ben Turner (West Liberty) is a quick inside target.
Marshall Thundering Herd Preview 2025: Defense
- There's no replacing the pass rush that was so good last year. 17-sack Mike Green is a Baltimore Raven, and just about everyone else who came up with a sack is gone. Paul Hutson (Campbell) is a big end coming in, but it's the inside that has to shine right away.335-pound KaTron Evans (Charlotte), 330-pound Tyas Martin (Jackson State), Jamaal Whice (South Carolina) and Jalil Rivera-Harvey (Arizona State) bring the bulk.- There isn't much experience among the new linebackers, but Javae Gilmore (Mississippi State) is a big body for the interior, and quick Jibreel Al-Amin (Jacksonville State) made 23 tackles in a rotation.
- The secondary caught a bit of a break when Jadarius Green-McKnight chose to come back. The safety made 38 tackles with a pick-six, corner Daytione Smith got in a little time, and everyone else is from the portal. Most of the new parts are nice prospects without a ton of proven production, but safety Boogie Trotter (Tennessee State) should be a statistical star coming off a 62-tackle season. Corner Marvae Myers-Glover (Middle Tennessee) started his college career in 2019, and made 41 stops and broke up four passes last season.
Marshall Thundering Herd Key to the Season
Get the running game working right away.The offense won't be smooth, but as long as the experienced interior and huge tackles can blast away, the quick backfield should control games a bit on the ground. Time of possession won't be on the Herd's side, so …
Marshall Thundering Herd Key Player
Katron Evans, DT Sr.This goes for all the giant new defensive tackles. This gets ugly fast if the Herd can't hold up against the run, and that's where the 335-pound Charlotte transfer comes in. He needs to be an anchor.
Marshall Thundering Herd Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Michael Allen, RB Jr.And throw in Jo'Shon Barbie from McNeese State. Give Allen and Barbie a little bit of room, and these two should be able to rip off yards in chunks. They're both quick backs - Allen looked good when he had his chances at UNLV - and should take over a game or two.Top Transfer Out: Christian Fitzpatrick, WR Sr.Take your pick of any one of the bazillion transfers who might be the most important. Fitzpatrick has the 6-4 size, the deep speed, and the production with a 34-catch, six-touchdown grab season for the Herd, averaging 17 yards per play. Now he's at Oklahoma State.
Marshall Thundering Herd Key Game
at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 20How far do the Herd have to go to be decent? The hope is to get past Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky to get to 2-1, and if there's a win over Middle Tennessee on the road in the Sun Belt opener, this could be a surprise team.- 2025 Marshall Schedule Breakdown
Marshall Thundering Herd Top 10 Players
1. Toby Payne, TE Jr.2. Ladarius Green-McKnight, S Sr.3. Michael Allen, RB Jr.4. Zion Turner, QB Jr.5. Eric Meeks, C Jr.6. Jo'Shon Barbie, RB Jr.7. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, QB Sr. 8. Boogie Trotter, S Sr. 9. Javae Gilmore, LB Jr.10. Marvae Myers-Glover, CB Sr.
Marshall Thundering Herd 2024 Fun Stats
- Sacks: Marshall 36 for 230 yards, Opponents 17 for 120 yards- Second Quarter Scoring: Marshall 138, Opponents 68- Interceptions Thrown: Opponents 13, Marshall 4
Marshall Thundering Herd 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Out of all 136 college football teams coming into the season, Marshall is the biggest guess when it comes to figuring out what's about to happen.The very, very sheepish call is that the offense works just enough at times to push past a few weak defenses, but there won't be a lick of consistency anywhere across the board.So let's go with this. There will be a win over Eastern Kentucky early on, maybe there's some success against Missouri State, and things will start to get better as the season moves on.
It's hard to see the Herd as a major favorite over anyone in Sun Belt play, but there's a chance this changes big one way or another in a real hurry.Set The Marshall Thundering Herd Win Total At … 3.5Likely Wins: Eastern Kentucky50/50 Games: at App State, at Coastal Carolina, at Georgia Southern, Georgia State, at Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, Old Dominion, Texas StateLikely Losses: at Georgia, James Madison, at Louisiana
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