— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s has signed his first early recruiting class under head coach Tony Gibson, who says the group can help grow the program after his Gibson’s first Herd squad recently ended a 5-7 season.
“We’re excited to get these guys in here as part of our Herd family,” Gibson said. “We knew going into our first year that certain needs would have to be addressed and our staff went to work bringing in guys that we knew would address those needs. We look forward to getting these guys in our program soon and getting to work for the future.”
Among the signees are five offensive linemen, including Mason Ramsey from nearby Huntington High School. Ramsey joins Mingo Central wideout Aidan Burke as two West Virginia natives of 14 players to sign.
Ramsey is 6-foot-3, 285 pounds and is considered a three-star recruit. He is widely considered one of West Virginia’s 10 best prospects. Ramsey chose Marshall over offers from Army, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky and Toledo.
Burke was a standout on both sides of the ball this fall for Mingo Central. He led the Miners in receiving (37 receptions, 479 yards, 3 TDs) and excelled on the back end of the defense with 42 tackles, four interceptions, six pas breakups, and a fumble recovery.
Marshall also had recruiting success in and around Cincinnati, signing four players from that metropolitan area in offensive lineman Justin Lyles, linebacker Andre Parker, defensive back Jaycee Houston and offensive lineman and William Sandfoss.
Wide receiver Brennan Chambers of Goldsboro, N.C., linebacker Brysen Davies of Newnan, Georgia and Northeast Mississippi Community College offensive lineman J.T. Fagan provide the class with a touch of southern flavor.
Chambers is a speedster who was rated as the 52nd best prospect in North Carolina by 247 Sports.
Davies had 179 total tackles to go with 3.5 sacks and two interceptions this year at Northgate High School. Davies finished with at least 10 tackles in all 11 games played this season.
Fagan is considered the No. 3 junior college offensive tackle available in the Class of 2026. The three-star recruit committed to Marshall in early October as the Herd beat out Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Kennesaw State and Liberty for Fagan’s commitment.
Three other potential future contributors for the Herd are signees Jae’von White from Rockledge, Fla., Drew Williams from Washington, D.C. and long snapper Riley Winkler from University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
White is a 6-6, 300-pound projected tackle and chose Marshall over the likes of Pitt, Iowa State, Florida International and Western Kentucky. He was named a three-star recruit out of Rockledge.
Williams is rated the No. 10 prospect out of the Washington D.C. area. He committed to the Herd last June. Among Williams’ best attributes are size and versatility, as he can log snaps any skill spot on offense.
Winkler started getting attention with a solid performance at the Rubio Top-12 Camp in Idaho, put on by Rubio Long Snapping. His average snap time is 0.75 seconds on a 15-yard snap, which is collegiate-level timing for the long-snapping operation.
Marshall’s signees
- Ezekiel Gunn, DB, 6-0, 205, Cincinnati, Ohio, Princeton H.S.
- J.T. Fagan, OL, 6-7, 295, Florence, Ala., Northeast Mississippi C.C.
- William Sandfoss, OL, 6-5, 280, Newport, Ky., Newport Cent. Catholic H.S.
- Jaycee Houston, DB, 6-2, 175, Cincinnati, Ohio, Withrow H.S.
- Mason Ramsey, OL, 6-3, 285, Huntington, W.Va., Huntington H.S.
- Justyn Lyles, OL, 6-4, 260, Cincinnati, Ohio, Withrow H.S.
- Andre Parker, LB, 6-0, 205, Cincinnati, Ohio, Princeton H.S.
- Tristan Lester, DB, 5-10, 193, Alpharetta, Ga., Milton H.S.
- Brennan Chambers, WR, 6-3, 170, Goldsboro, N.C., Kinston H.S.
- Aidan Burke, WR, 6-0, 190, Matewan, W.Va., Mingo Central H.S.
- Brysen Davies, LB, 6-0, 210, Newnan, Ga., Northgate H.S.
- Drew Williams, WR, 6-2, 205, Washington, D.C., St. Johns College H.S.
- Riley Winkler, LS, 6-4, 190, Detroit, Mich., Univ. of Detroit Jesuit H.S.
- Jae’von White, OL, 6-6, 300, Rockledge, Fla., Rockledge H.S.