Marshall’s secondary got significantly deeper Monday morning when Boston College defensive backs Dominick LeGrande and Okechukwu Okoroha enrolled at Marshall University.
Marshall officials confirm LeGrande and Okoroha will be on scholarship for the upcoming year and are eligible to play immediately.
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Dominick LeGrande is joining The Thundering Herd this season.
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LeGrande and Okoroha both left the Boston College program prior to the start of the 2011 season. Eagles Head Coach Frank Spaziani dismissed Okoroha from the team last August for disciplinary reasons. Just days later, LeGrande announced his intent to transfer and voluntarily left the Boston College football team.
The pair had been projected to be Boston College’s starting safeties for the 2011 season. Okoroha, a free safety, appeared in all 13 games during the 2011 season and started the final six for an injured Wes Davis. Okoroha recorded 27 tackles in 2010. He also forced a fumble against Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
LeGrande appeared in 11 games in 2010 and started six games as a sophomore in 2009.
LeGrande and Okoroha will provide experience and size (LeGrande is 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds while Okoroha is 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds) in the Marshall secondary that his replacing both starting safeties from the 2011 squad. Omar Brown graduated and Devin Arrington has moved from strong safety back his natural linebacker slot.
Thundering Herd Safeties Coach Todd Hartley tweeted Monday morning: “Excited for the Marshall Green Swarm Defense! The Herd just got a heckuva lot better.”
Marshall’s secondary has come under fire over the last few years for its soft coverages and allowing teams to make catches then coming up to make the tackle. Opponents threw for an average of 255 yards per game last season against The Herd. Houston scorched Marshall for 479 yards through the air in a 63-28 mauling by the Cougars.
During spring drills D.J. Hunter, Derek Mitchell and Zach Dunston took most of the snaps at the safety positions with the first team defense.
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