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Marshall 2026 Preview
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- Marshall 2026 Preview
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor
For Marshall, 2026 will be about bouncing back from a disappointing 2025. They went 5-7 , a drop from the 10-3 record they posted in 2024, a season that ended in a Sun Belt Championship.
Despite the disappointment, there are certain things Marshall will want to build on from last season. But with their record, there are areas they want to see improvement.
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Marshall 2026 Preview
Offense
The offense was the biggest strength for the Thundering Herd last season. They averaged 30.8 points per game, which ranked 39thin the nation and fourth in the Sun Belt.
The offense will be led by Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year . Del Rio-Wilson passed for 2,043 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 66.8% of his passes. He also led Marshall with 660 rushing yards.
While he is productive with his legs, the Thundering Herd will have to replace production from the backfield as Antwan Roberts and Michael Allen both departed in the transfer portal. They brought in TJ Lester and Anthony Quinn Jr. to fill the void at running back.
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Lester ran for 432 yards last season at West Georgia, and Quinn Jr. is a redshirt freshman but was a capable rusher and pass-catcher at Rabun Gap High School. Del Rio-Wilson ran the ball 160 times, which was by far the most on the team last season, so getting some of the running backs to produce early can lighten his load as a runner to some degree.
The Thundering Herd have several offensive players who were named to preseason All-Sun Belt teams. Tight end Toby Payne, wide receiver Adrian Norton and linemen Jalen Slappy and Tariq Montgomery were all first-team selections.
Payne was an All-Sun Belt first-team player last season, recording 37 catches for 393 yards. Norton is a key receiver who will be returning, with potentially an expanded role as their top pass-catcher from last season, Demarcus Lacey, declared for the draft.
Slappy and Montgomery are two experienced linemen who heavily assisted with Marshall being a good rushing team last season.
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The offense still has a lot of talent led by Del Rio-Wilson , so there is an expectation that they can still be as potent as they were last season.
Defense
As the offense will look to have another strong season, it's the defense that will look to have a resurgence. They gave up 30.3 points per game, which was 108th nationally out of 136 teams. The secondary was prone to giving up big numbers through the air, giving up 261.7 passing yards per game, which was the 10th highest in the nation. They gave up 410.6 yards per game.
Marshall made a change to the coaching staff, hiring Brad Lambert as the defensive coordinator. Lambert is no stranger to Marshall, as he was on the defensive staff from 1991-95 and in 2019-20.
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One of Marshall's better defenders will be returning in Daytione Smith. He was another Marshall player named to the preseason All-Sun Belt First-Team, recording 50 tackles and three interceptions last season.
Braydin Ward and Javae Gilmore were both named to the second team. Ward recorded five sacks and four forced fumbles, while Gilmore had 63 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss.
Overall, it was a major drop-off from 2024, so the Thundering Herd will look to get back to that level defensively when they allowed 23 points per game.
Schedule
Marshall starts the season on the road at Penn State, their only Big Ten opponent of the season. For the rest of September, they face Middle Tennessee State, Missouri State and Gardner-Webb. Their first conference game comes at James Madison on Oct. 3. They will then have two straight home games against Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. After that, it's two straight road games against Old Dominion and Georgia Southern. They'll return home to face Appalachian State and Georgia State, then end the season at Louisiana-Monroe.
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Marshall 2026 Expectation
Marshall is entering this season with high expectations. They were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt East after James Madison and Old Dominion. Head coach Tony Gibson is entering his second season, looking to get the program back to winning.
With the offense not making any major changes, the production from last season should be the same, leaving room for improvement.
Main Image: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
