— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Second-year Marshall football coach Tony Gibson says his team is making noticeable progress after one week of workouts.
“Glad that we’ve got some heat, because the guys are working hard and getting into shape,” Gibson said.
Coming off a 5-7 season, Marshall is looking for improvement in 2026 despite a schedule that includes a trip to national power Penn State to open the season and road trip to Sun Belt Conference rival James Madison, a participant in last year’s College Football Playoff.
Gibson believes the number of returnees on Marshall’s offense has helped create efficient practices and better retention of the teaching from the Herd coaching staff.
“We didn’t lose any of our offensive coaching staff, so they, along with our returning players have had continuity on that side of the ball,” Gibson said. “Our defense is playing really fast and our staff has done a great job of getting them ready. It’s exciting to watch and there are battles going both ways.”
Gibson notes that one concern in fall practice is developing depth among running backs and the offensive line.
There are several newcomers and inexperienced players in those spots, and Gibson hopes they’ll increase in confidence and be ready for the opener against the Nittany Lions.
Defensively, Marshall is working on tweaks to the 3-3-5 scheme favored by Gibson last season.
Marshall’s defense is being run this year by veteran coordinator Brad Lambert, who is part of the Herd coaching staff for the third time in his career.
A former head coach at Charlotte, Lambert previously worked on the Marshall staffs of head coaches Jim Donnan and Doc Holliday.
The secondary got a big boost by the return of defensive back Boogie Trotter, who has received an extra year of eligibility as a result of an injunction against the NCAA awarded to 2022 high school graduates for a fifth and final year of eligibility.
Trotter was productive in his first season with the Herd. He recorded five interceptions and a team-high 74 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Two of Trotter’s interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
“Boogie was one of the most productive guys in our league last year and especially on our football team,” Gibson said. “To get that back, the leadership and energy that he brings, is great. He’s been working hard and he didn’t miss a beat and was ready to go.”
Gibson is also pleased with the lack of letdown in practice from less-experienced players who are in line to play sparingly at the most this season.
”Iron sharpens Iron,” Gibson said. “I want these guys to get repetitions as much as we can because once we get into the season, it’s a lot of scout team work. It’s important that we build some depth and compete a little bit.”