2025 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

2025 Marshall Thundering Herd football
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Division	East Division
Record	0–1 (0–0 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Tony Gibson (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Smith (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Shannon Morrison (1st season)
Home stadium	Joan C. Edwards Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Sun Belt Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Appalachian State		0	–	0					1	–	0
James Madison		0	–	0					1	–	0
Coastal Carolina		0	–	0					0	–	1
Georgia Southern		0	–	0					0	–	1
Georgia State		0	–	0					0	–	1
Marshall		0	–	0					0	–	1
Old Dominion		0	–	0					0	–	1
West Division
Arkansas State		0	–	0					1	–	0
Louisiana–Monroe		0	–	0					1	–	0
South Alabama		0	–	0					1	–	0
Texas State		0	–	0					1	–	0
Troy		0	–	0					1	–	0
Louisiana		0	–	0					0	–	1
Southern Miss		0	–	0					0	–	1
Championship: December 5, 2025
As of August 31, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represents Marshall University in the Sun Belt Conference's East Division during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Thundering Herd are led by Tony Gibson in his first year as the head coach. The Thundering Herd play home games at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium, located in Huntington, West Virginia.

Offseason

Following the departure of head coach Charles Huff to conference rival Southern Miss the day after the 2024 SBC championship game, 50 Thundering Herd players entered the transfer portal, with 21 of them eventually following Huff to Southern Miss. According to ESPN writer Bill Connelly, Marshall "is starting over [in 2025] like almost no one ever has"; between graduation and transfers: ^[1]

• The quarterbacks responsible for all of Marshall's passing yardage in 2024 left.
• No returning Herd player rushed for a single yard in 2024.
• Only two returning players caught any passes in 2024.
• The players responsible for 49 of the 65 offensive line starts departed.
• Of the eight defensive linemen who played for at least 50 snaps in 2024, only one returned.
• Of the 13 defensive backs who played for at least 30 snaps in 2024, only two returned.
• The returning linebackers played a combined three snaps in 2024.

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Stone Earle	QB	Abilene Christian
DJ Stepney	S	Akron
Marcel Williams	WR	Akron
Colin Parachek	QB	Albany
Ian Ratliff	P	Appalachian State
Cade Davis	LS	Arizona State
AG McGhee	DB	Arkansas State
Treaden Henry	OL	Campbell
Andrew Hancock	IOL	Elon
Su Agunloye	DL	FIU
Leon Hart Jr.	LB	Florida Atlantic
Cole Pennington	QB	Gardner–Webb
Landyn Watson	LB	Kentucky
A.J. Turner	RB	Minnesota
Rece Verhoff	K	North Carolina
Thomas McCoy	WR	Northern Illinois
Christian Fitzpatrick	WR	Oklahoma State
Jaden Yates	LB	Ole Miss
Justin Holmes	TE	Pittsburgh
Aidan Steinfeldt	TE	Richmond
Jacobie Henderson	DB	Rutgers
Guylijah Theodule	DB	Southern Miss
Braylon Braxton	QB	Southern Miss
Alec Clark	P	Southern Miss
Isaiah Gibson Sr.	DL	Southern Miss
Ian Foster	S	Southern Miss
J.J. Hawkins	DE	Southern Miss
Josh Moten	DB	Southern Miss
Elijah Metcalf	WR	Southern Miss
Chuck Montgomery	WR	Southern Miss
Ishmael Ibraheem	DB	Southern Miss
Bralon Brown	WR	Southern Miss
Ahmere Foster	S	Southern Miss
Jabari Ishmael	DE	Southern Miss
Tychaun Chapman	WR	Southern Miss
Corey Myrick	S	Southern Miss
MaLik Caswell	S	Southern Miss
Carl Chester	WR	Southern Miss
Mathis Haygood	LB	Southern Miss
Moses Gray	RB	Southern Miss
Anthony Richard	DB	Southern Miss
Chris Stokes	DL	Southern Miss
Chris Thomas Jr.	DL	Syracuse
Brock Montgomery	WR	Tennessee State
Ashton Heflin	LB	Texas State
Cedrick Nicely	OL	West Georgia
Cade Conley	TE	Western Michigan
TaShawn Jeter	DB	Unknown
Will Petit	P	Unknown
Antwaan Mays	WR	Unknown
Kam Kynard	S	Unknown
Isaiah Johnson	S	Unknown
Robert Shockey	QB	Unknown
Jadarius Green-McKnight	S	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Adrian Norton	WR	Akron
Zavier Short	WR	Appalachian State
Justin Williams-Thomas	RB	California
Rashawn Carr	LB	Campbell
Paul Hutson III	EDGE	Campbell
Louikenzy Jules	DB	Charleston
KaTron Evans	DL	Charlotte
Peyton Ellis	OL	East Texas A&M
Evan Ferguson	IOL	Gardner–Webb
Tyler McDuffie	OT	Hampton
Tony Mathis	RB	Houston
Atley Cowan	QB	Indianapolis
Tyas Martin	DL	Jackson State
Cam Smith	S	Jackson State
Zion Turner	QB	Jacksonville State
Jibreel Al-Amin	LB	Jacksonville State
Demarcus Lacey	WR	Jacksonville State
Tayvon Nelson	DB	Maryland
Jo'shon Barbie	RB	McNeese
Philipp Davis	CB	Michigan State
Marvae Myers	DB	Middle Tennessee
Morgan Scott	OT	Middle Tennessee
Javae Gilmore	LB	Mississippi State
Antonio Harmon	WR	Mississippi State
Zane Porter	LB	Morehead State
Trey Dunn	QB	Navy
Jakolbe Baldwin	WR	NC State
Jayland Parker	LB	NC State
Cannon Lewis	LB	NC State
Robert Shockey	QB	NC State
Al Ashford III	CB	Northern Arizona
Peter Schuh	S	Oklahoma
Brock Walters	LS	Old Dominion
Naquan Crowder	DL	PennWest California
Ali Abbasi	DL	Roosevelt
Jamaal Whyce	DL	South Carolina
Jack Clougherty	QB	South Dakota
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson	QB	Syracuse
Darrell Sweeting	DB	Temple
Joseph Auzenne	DL	Temple
Boogie Trotter	S	Tennessee State
Ian Ratliff	P	Texas
Daniel Harris	S	UAB
Brock Montgomery	WR	UConn
Michael Allen	RB	UNLV
Ma'jon Wright	WR	Valdosta State
Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw	WR	Virginia Tech
Joshua Pierre-Louis	CB	West Georgia
Ben Turner	WR	West Liberty
Bryce Biggs	OL	West Virginia
Sammy Etienne	S	West Virginia
Zah Jackson	CB	West Virginia
Jalil Rivera-Harvey	DL	Western Kentucky
Sid Kaba	DL	Western Michigan
Tony Martin	WR	Western Michigan
Jalen Marshall	LB	Wofford
Kerion Martin	S	Youngstown State

^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Coaching staff additions

Name	New Position	Previous Team	Previous Position	Source
Tony Gibson	Head coach	NC State	Defensive coordinator/Linebackers	[6]
Rod Smith	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks	Jacksonville State	Interim head coach	[7]
Shannon Morrison	Defensive coordinator	Marshall [a]	Linebackers	[7]
Jackson White	Special teams	NC State	Special teams quality control	[7]
Rod McDowell	Running backs/Run game coordinator	Jacksonville State	Running backs	[8]
Bob McClain	Offensive line	California (PA)	Offensive line/Run game coordinator	[8]
Gunter Brewer	Tight ends	Virginia Tech	Director of High School Relations	[8]
Jake Ellsworth	Linebackers	NC State	Defensive director of quality control	[8]
Jarred Holley	Defensive backs	Abilene Christian	Safeties	[8]

Preseason

Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Thundering Herd were picked to finish sixth place in the East division. ^[9]

Tight end Toby Payne was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team offense. ^[10] Offensive lineman Jalen Slappy was named to the second team offense.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	3:30 p.m.	at No. 5 Georgia *	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	ESPN	L 7–45	93,033
September 6	6:00 p.m.	Missouri State *	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN+
September 13	6:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky *	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN+
September 20	7:00 p.m.	at Middle Tennessee *	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	ESPN Networks
September 27		at Louisiana	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA
October 11		Old Dominion	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV
October 18		Texas State	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV
October 30	7:30 p.m.	at Coastal Carolina	Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	ESPN/ESPN2
November 8		James Madison	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV
November 15		at Georgia State	Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA
November 22		at Appalachian State	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC (The Old Mountain Feud)
November 29		Georgia Southern	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[11]

Game summaries

at No. 5 Georgia

See also: 2025 Georgia Bulldogs football team

Game One – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	7	7
No. 5 Bulldogs	14	10	14	7	45

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

• Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: E 5 mph
• Game attendance: 93,033
• Referee: Lee Hendrick
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
• Pregame line: Georgia –38.5

Game information

First quarter (9:22) UGA – Dwight Phillips Jr. 17 yard run, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:17; Georgia 7–0) (2:21) UGA – Gunner Stockton 13 yard run, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 5:13; Georgia 14–0) Second quarter (9:07) UGA – Gunner Stockton 11 yard run, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 1:08; Georgia 21–0) (0:24) UGA – Peyton Woodring 43 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 1:03; Georgia 24–0) Third quarter (13:13) UGA – Zachariah Branch 47 yard pass from Gunner Stockton, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:47; Georgia 31–0) (3:51) UGA – London Humphreys 2 yard pass from Gunner Stockton, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 4:23; Georgia 38–0) Fourth quarter (14:18) UGA – Elyiss Williams 23 yard pass from Ryan Puglisi, Peyton Woodring kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:23; Georgia 45–0) (10:27) MRSH – Jo'Shon Barbie 1 yard run, Lorcan Quinn kick (Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 3:46; Georgia 45–7)

Statistics	MRSH	UGA
First downs	7	27
Plays–yards	52–207	76–488
Rushes–yards	31–78	44–239
Passing yards	129	249
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–21–0	19–32–0
Time of possession	25:31	34:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing	Zion Turner	6/7, 100 yards
	Rushing	Justin Williams-Thomas	4 carries, 24 yards
	Receiving	Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw	3 receptions, 58 yards
Georgia	Passing	Gunner Stockton	14/24, 190 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Gunner Stockton	10 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Zachariah Branch	3 receptions, 95 yards, TD

vs Missouri State

See also: 2025 Missouri State Bears football team

Game Two – Missouri State Bears (0–1) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• TV: ESPN+
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MOST	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Eastern Kentucky (FCS)

See also: 2025 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Game Three – Eastern Kentucky Colonels (FCS) (0–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colonels (FCS)	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• TV: ESPN+
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EKU	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Middle Tennessee

See also: 2025 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Game Four – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

• Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRSH	MTSU
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Louisiana

See also: 2025 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team

Game Five – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0
Ragin' Cajuns	0	0	0	0	0

at Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana

• Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRSH	ULL
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Old Dominion

See also: 2025 Old Dominion Monarchs football team

Game Six – Old Dominion Monarchs (0–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Monarchs	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ODU	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Old Dominion	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Texas State

See also: 2025 Texas State Bobcats football team

Game Seven – Texas State Bobcats (0–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TXST	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Coastal Carolina

See also: 2025 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

Game Eight – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0
Chanticleers	0	0	0	0	0

at Brooks Stadium • Conway, South Carolina

• Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRSH	CCU
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Coastal Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs James Madison

See also: 2025 James Madison Dukes football team

Game Nine – James Madison Dukes (0–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dukes	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JMU	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
James Madison	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Georgia State

See also: 2025 Georgia State Panthers football team

Game Ten – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at Georgia State Panthers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0

at Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRSH	GAST
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Appalachian State (The Old Mountain Feud)

See also: 2025 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team and The Old Mountain Feud

Game Eleven – Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) at Appalachian State Mountaineers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0
Mountaineers	0	0	0	0	0

at Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRSH	APP
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Appalachian State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Georgia Southern

See also: 2025 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Game Twelve – Georgia Southern Eagles (0–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Thundering Herd	0	0	0	0	0

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

• Date: Saturday, November 29, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• Pregame line:

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	GASO	MRSH
First downs
Plays–yards	–	–
Rushes–yards	–	–
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	––	––
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Marshall	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Notes

1. Left Marshall after the 2023 season, did not coach in 2024

References

1. Connelly, Bill (June 13, 2025). "2025 Sun Belt Conference college football projections, preview". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
2. "Marshall Football Transfer Portal". ON3.
3. "Marshall Thundering Herd 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
4. "2025 FBS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.
5. "2025 FCS-to-FBS Transfers". herosports.
6. "Tony Gibson Named As Marshall's 32nd Head Football Coach". herdzone. December 8, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
7. "Marshall Head Coach Tony Gibson Announces 2025 Coordinators". herdzone. January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
8. "Marshall Head Coach Tony Gibson Finalizes 2025 Staff". herdzone. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
9. "Sun Belt Announces 2025 Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. July 21, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
10. "Marshall's Toby Payne, Jalen Slappy Earn Preseason All-Sun Belt Honors". herdzone.com. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
11. "2025 Marshall Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 29, 2025.