— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s football roster refill has been active throughout much of December since former head coach Charles Huff moved on for the same title at Southern Mississippi and was replaced by Tony Gibson.
Officially hired 17 days ago, Gibson and his staff have been involved in rapid-fire recruiting throughout the NCAA Transfer Portal and in bringing in freshmen. Over the past few days, the Herd has attracted several new players.
Former Jacksonville State linebacker Jabril Al-Amin decided to join the Thundering Herd on Christmas Eve. Al-Amin played in nine games for the Gamecocks and recorded 23 tackles in 2024.
The Herd picked up a player familiar to football fans in Kanawha Valley region in former University of Charleston cornerback Loulkenzy Jules, who had four interceptions and 21 tackles last season for a Division II playoff team.
Defensive lineman Joseph Auzenne is transferring to MU from Temple. He played in 10 games and recorded five tackles for the Owls. One of his Temple teammates, cornerback Darrell Sweeting is also relocating to Huntington after playing in four games this season.
Players from Coach Gibson’s former home at North Carolina State are also switching from red and black to green and white. One of those is former Cabell Midland High School standout Cannon Lewis, a linebacker. Lewis played in four games and recorded two tackles. Another is safety Jakolbe Baldwin, who did not record a statistic this season.
Ex-Maryland cornerback Tayvon Nelson and former Mississippi State tight end Antonio Harvey have made a commitment to MU. Neither appeared in a game this fall.
Former Charlotte defensive lineman Katron Evans has also committed to the Herd.. He played in all 12 games for the 49ers and recorded eight tackles. Evans is being joined by another defensive lineman, Tyas Martin from Arkansas.
Two former Marshall players have decided to again play for the Thundering Herd. Former Capital star Kerion Martin is leaving FCS-level Youngstown State after playing there for one season. Martin, who began his college career at Marshall, had 33 tackles for the Penguins defense in 2024.
Another ex-Marshall player returning is former Western Kentucky defensive lineman Jalil Rivera-Harvey. Rivera-Harvey left Marshall after the 2023 season, but played in only three games and recorded five tackles this season.
As a result of an abundance of personnel losses from its 2024 Sun Belt Conference-winning roster, Marshall withdrew from playing Army in the Independence Bowl, a game scheduled for Saturday.
Louisiana Tech replaced the Herd.