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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Marshall Football Preview 2025: How Fast Can the Thundering Herd Rebuild?
How do you go from what Marshall pulled off in 2024 to a complete and total rebuild that fast?The Herd got red hot, ripped through a relatively weak conference slate, won the game it had to pull off at James Madison, and shut down Louisiana cold for a 31-3 victory for the Sun Belt ten-win season was the first since the Doc Holliday days of 2015, and then head coach Charles Huff took the Southern Miss job. Almost everyone jumped into the portal, there weren't enough guys around to play the bowl game, and now Marshall is starting from scratch. 52-year-old Tony Gibson has never been a head coach. He comes in after spending the last six seasons as NC State's defensive coordinator, and yeah, he might have to work his way into the not his fault. At last count, over 25 players had left through the portal. It could come together fast. If the running game finds a groove right away, the schedule is manageable enough to come up with a shocker of a strong first campaign under 0-12 wouldn't be a total stunner, either, considering it's not just about the new faces, there's woefully little overall time logged in at the FBS level among the protected starters. Marshall Thundering Herd Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- Welcome to the Jacksonville State Thundering Herd. Former Gamecock offensive coordinator Rod Smith made the move over to Marshall after helping to lead one of the nation's most interesting and dangerous attacks. This is all starting from scratch, but … - They have a few nice quarterbacks. Zion Turner was in the Jax State system last year, but didn't play much. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (Syracuse) is a dangerous option who'll get every shot at the job with the all-around skills to step in right away. For comparison, last year's Gamecock quarterback Tyler Huff ran for 1,344 yards and 15 scores, and … - This system will hammer the hot running back. Tre Stewart led Jacksonville State with 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns, and now it's up to Michael Allen (UNLV) and Jo'Shon Barbie (McNeese State) to combine forces. Both averaged over five yards per carry last season for their respective schools. - There's more continuity on the offensive line than anywhere else on the team, at least in the interior with Logan Osburn back at center and Jalen Slappy a veteran guard to work around. 348-pound Shunmarkus Adams should be set at the other guard spot. The tackles are coming from the portal - 6-9, 356-pound Tyler McDuffie (Hampton) should be the best of the lot.- The Herd have a star in tight end Toby Payne - he needs the ball more. He tied for the team lead with six touchdown catches, but all of the other receivers of note are gone. Demarcus Lacey (Jacksonville State) has speed on the outside. 6-3, 200-pound Antonio Harmon got in a little work at Mississippi State, and Ben Turner (West Liberty) is a quick inside target. Marshall Thundering Herd Preview 2025: Defense - There's no replacing the pass rush that was so good last year. 17-sack Mike Green is a Baltimore Raven, and just about everyone else who came up with a sack is gone. Paul Hutson (Campbell) is a big end coming in, but it's the inside that has to shine right away.335-pound KaTron Evans (Charlotte), 330-pound Tyas Martin (Jackson State), Jamaal Whice (South Carolina) and Jalil Rivera-Harvey (Arizona State) bring the bulk.- There isn't much experience among the new linebackers, but Javae Gilmore (Mississippi State) is a big body for the interior, and quick Jibreel Al-Amin (Jacksonville State) made 23 tackles in a rotation. - The secondary caught a bit of a break when Jadarius Green-McKnight chose to come back. The safety made 38 tackles with a pick-six, corner Daytione Smith got in a little time, and everyone else is from the portal. Most of the new parts are nice prospects without a ton of proven production, but safety Boogie Trotter (Tennessee State) should be a statistical star coming off a 62-tackle season. Corner Marvae Myers-Glover (Middle Tennessee) started his college career in 2019, and made 41 stops and broke up four passes last season. Marshall Thundering Herd Key to the Season Get the running game working right offense won't be smooth, but as long as the experienced interior and huge tackles can blast away, the quick backfield should control games a bit on the ground. Time of possession won't be on the Herd's side, so … Marshall Thundering Herd Key Player Katron Evans, DT goes for all the giant new defensive tackles. This gets ugly fast if the Herd can't hold up against the run, and that's where the 335-pound Charlotte transfer comes in. He needs to be an anchor. Marshall Thundering Herd Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Michael Allen, RB throw in Jo'Shon Barbie from McNeese State. Give Allen and Barbie a little bit of room, and these two should be able to rip off yards in chunks. They're both quick backs - Allen looked good when he had his chances at UNLV - and should take over a game or Transfer Out: Christian Fitzpatrick, WR your pick of any one of the bazillion transfers who might be the most important. Fitzpatrick has the 6-4 size, the deep speed, and the production with a 34-catch, six-touchdown grab season for the Herd, averaging 17 yards per play. Now he's at Oklahoma State. Marshall Thundering Herd Key Game at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 20How far do the Herd have to go to be decent? The hope is to get past Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky to get to 2-1, and if there's a win over Middle Tennessee on the road in the Sun Belt opener, this could be a surprise team.- 2025 Marshall Schedule Breakdown Marshall Thundering Herd Top 10 Players 1. Toby Payne, TE Jr.2. Ladarius Green-McKnight, S Sr.3. Michael Allen, RB Jr.4. Zion Turner, QB Jr.5. Eric Meeks, C Jr.6. Jo'Shon Barbie, RB Jr.7. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, QB Sr. 8. Boogie Trotter, S Sr. 9. Javae Gilmore, LB Jr.10. Marvae Myers-Glover, CB Sr. Marshall Thundering Herd 2024 Fun Stats - Sacks: Marshall 36 for 230 yards, Opponents 17 for 120 yards- Second Quarter Scoring: Marshall 138, Opponents 68- Interceptions Thrown: Opponents 13, Marshall 4 Marshall Thundering Herd 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Out of all 136 college football teams coming into the season, Marshall is the biggest guess when it comes to figuring out what's about to very, very sheepish call is that the offense works just enough at times to push past a few weak defenses, but there won't be a lick of consistency anywhere across the let's go with this. There will be a win over Eastern Kentucky early on, maybe there's some success against Missouri State, and things will start to get better as the season moves on. It's hard to see the Herd as a major favorite over anyone in Sun Belt play, but there's a chance this changes big one way or another in a real The Marshall Thundering Herd Win Total At … 3.5Likely Wins: Eastern Kentucky50/50 Games: at App State, at Coastal Carolina, at Georgia Southern, Georgia State, at Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, Old Dominion, Texas StateLikely Losses: at Georgia, James Madison, at Louisiana © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gibson, local natives set for annual Marshall golf outing at Grandview
Marshall sports fans in southern West Virginia will have the chance to greet the new football coach. The day will also serve as a homecoming for a few area natives who now call the university their home. The 35th annual Big Green Golf Outing at Grandview Country Club will be held on Monday. It is sponsored Marshall University Southern Coalfields Alumni and is part of the Big Green Coaches Tour. Advertisement Tony Gibson, who was introduced as the Thundering Herd's new head football coach in December, will be there. Gibson, a native of Van in Boone County, is back in his home state for his first stint as a head coach after a career that has taken him to Cumberland, Michigan, Pitt, Arizona and N.C. State. Of course, his career started at Glenville State under Rich Rodriguez, who he followed to West Virginia University. Gibson had a second stint with the Mountaineers from 2014-2018. The golf outing will also have a feel even closer to home with the presence of Gibson's defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison, head men's basketball coach Corny Jackson and his associate head coach Rob Fulford. Morrison and Jackson are both Oak Hill graduates, and Fulford is a Mullens native. Advertisement Morrison played at Marshall and was a member of the 1992 Division I-AA national championship team, as well as two national runners-up in 1991 and 1993. He is now in his fourth stint as an assistant coach with the Herd. He also has stops at Sam Houston State, Eastern Kentucky, Ball State, Cincinnati, Memphis, Bowling Green, Lehigh, Southeast Missouri and Hampden-Sydney. Jackson just completed his first season as the head men's basketball coach, guiding the Herd to a 20-13 record and a spot in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. He had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant and later associate to head coach Dan D'Antoni. D'Antoni is a Mullens native, and that's where Jackson went for his associate head coach. Fulford, a graduate of storied Mullens High, joined Jackson for his first season after spending the previous seven as an assistant at Akron. Before that, Fulford was an assistant at Missouri for three seasons. Advertisement Fulford, a Marshall alumnus, had been an assistant coach at Mountain State University and the head coach at Mountain State University under Bob Bolen. He then went on to a successful career as the head coach at Huntington Prep, where he guided such players as No. 1 NBA Draft pick Andrew Wiggins, NBA Draft lottery pick Miles Bridges and first round pick Gorgui Dieng. Also on hand will be head women's golf coach Brooke Burkhammer, a Cabell Midland alumna, as well as John Sutherland, Marshall's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development and the Executive Director of the Big Green Scholarship Foundation. On Wednesday, the university announced that Sutherland will be retiring effective June 3 after 24 years at Marshall. Opportunities to play in and/or advertise with the outing are available. A sponsorship package of $250 is good for signage, golf for one, drinks, lunch and dinner. Additional golfers cost $150 each. Cost for signs only is $125. Individual golf packages (golf, drinks, lunch and dinner) are $150. Advertisement There will be contests, pink tees and mulligan packages for $20 each. Registration will run from 10-11:30 a.m. and play will open with a shotgun start at noon. Lunch will be provided Subway/Little General. Dinner, provided by Pasquale's, will be served after golf is complete. Anyone wanting to attend dinner only can do so for $25. The annual Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser will also be held. Go to Facebook and like the Marshall University Southern Coalfields Alumni and Big Green Club page for details. For all this and any sponsorship questions, the following are available: Larry Foster (304-573-5336), Larry Canterbury (304-633-6474), Doug Leeber (304-266-8766), Miranda Elkins (304-894-2636) and Amanda Ashley (304-890-9215).
Fox Sports
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka's secret? The pursuit of perfection ‘to the nth degree'
Emeka Egbuka seeks comfort in knowing the intimate details and nuances of his position. It's what makes him one of the top receivers in this year's draft, according to Ohio State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline. "He's very cerebral, so there's a lot more depth to those conversations," Hartline told FOX Sports. "He wants to know the 'why,' not always the 'how.' But he always gave you great effort. He wanted to do things in a perfect manner. And if it wasn't done in that manner, he wasn't satisfied." Egbuka's pursuit of perfection led to him becoming the all-time leader in receptions (205) at Ohio State, one of the top producers of NFL receiver talent. You know the names: Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. A chance to follow and even compete with some of those elite athletes is what led Egbuka to choose the Buckeyes as the 2019 Washington Gatorade Player of the Year out of Steilacoom High School. "I'm my own hardest critic," Egbuka said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "A reason I excelled at Ohio State was because Coach Hartline and I shared a similar mindset. We're perfectionists to the nth degree. "Every time I watch film, I never tell myself 'Good job' in my head. I'm always critiquing myself. Whether it's run blocking, route running, my splits before the play, it's all game for me. It's all an art. I love the art of being a receiver." Greg Herd first noticed that attention to detail in Egbuka at a young age. A former receiver at Eastern Washington who spent some time in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Herd served as Egbuka's receivers coach and offensive coordinator at Steilacoom. They first met when Egbuka was an eager middle schooler thirsting for knowledge of how to get better at his craft. "He was working with the high school group as a seventh grader, and I thought, 'Oh this kid's kind of good,'" Herd told FOX Sports. "And then when I found out he was a seventh grader, I was like, 'Holy crap, this kid's special.' "Once he does something once, it's ingrained in his head. He has that high of an IQ as a football player." Herd recently spent time with Egbuka in Arizona, where he's preparing for the draft at the Exos training facility. They even played a couple rounds of golf together. Egbuka, who was also a talented baseball player in high school, took up golf in college and already is a single handicap. "The first round we played, his clubs hadn't come in yet, so he had to use rentals," Herd said. "And he said, 'I'm better with my clubs.' Look, I golf. I'm the same with any clubs. But his clubs came in the next day, and I think he shot like 1-over on the front nine. It was a world of difference. He can swing it. He's one of those kids that anything he picks up, he's going to be good at it." FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang has Egbuka as his top-ranked receiver and No. 16 overall on his final big board. "He's safer than a Subaru, with superb quickness, balance and core strength to win out of the slot as well as strong, reliable hands," Rang said. FOX Sports NFL analyst Bucky Brooks ranks Egbuka as the No. 4 receiver in this year's draft, behind Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden. The NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has Egbuka as his No. 2 receiver behind Golden, who ran a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. Egbuka said he met formally with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders at the combine. He also had pre-draft visits with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Along with those four teams, the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks could make sense as potential landing spots for Egbuka. "He's very much like Smith-Njigba," said one longtime NFL scout. "He's smooth. Not a blazer, but that works in the NFL with his catching and separation." The 6-foot-1, 202-pound Egbuka ran a respectable 4.48 40 at his pro day, which included an eye-catching 1.50-second 10-yard split. Along with his polished route-running skills and sticky hands, his ability as a willing blocker in the running game stands out for the next level. "He's more than fast enough," Hartline told FOX Sports. "The athletic ability, in my opinion, should be a check the box. He's big enough and strong enough. Hands? Check. Quickness? Check. Routes? Check." Hartline says that whoever selects Egbuka will be getting a plug-and-play, complete receiver ready to contribute once he hits the field. "He can play any spot you need him in," Hartline said. "Whatever you need to execute and get done job-description-wise, he can do that for you. Blocking, routes — there's nothing Emeka can't really get done when asked to on game day. "But it's more about what's between the ears, the approach and the mental makeup of the athlete that ultimately dictates their success. … You've got to have enough tools, but the tools don't always get the job done. Emeka definitely embodies the cerebral athlete in the game, and that's why he's going to be extremely successful." Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle Makes Unexpected Trip to New York City After Prince Harry's Ukraine Visit
The royals are on the move! With Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their kids skiing in the French Alps, King Charles and Queen Camilla in Italy, and Prince Harry in the U.K. and later a surprise stop in Ukraine, it has been a busy week for members of the royal family and travel. Adding to the list? Meghan Markle, who made a surprise trip to New York City on April 10, where she grabbed a bite to eat at Polo Bar before catching Gypsy on Broadway, according to People. Page Six grabbed photos of the Duchess of Sussex at both the Polo Bar and at the Majestic Theater, wearing a black top, black heels, and a bold houndstooth skirt. In a crossover moment, Gypsy stars Tony winner Audra McDonald, who attended the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in 2023, per People; that same night, Meghan was honored as a Woman of Vision Award winner. The outlet also added that McDonald once named Meghan as the living person she most admired—high praise. 'I don't know how she continues to walk through this world with the grace, strength, and purpose that she does given the unbearable amount of vitriol and hate she has been subjected to, but she does,' McDonald told Vanity Fair in 2023. 'I wish she didn't have to.' On the debut episode of Meghan's podcast Confessions of a Female Founder this week, first guest Whitney Wolfe Herd—founder and CEO of dating app Bumble—echoed those sentiments, telling Meghan, 'When I see the way you've been treated in the media, which is a magnitude I'll never understand, my heart breaks for you. It's not fair and it's brutalizing.' Herd later added that, while she was at an airport in Ireland, she once saw Meghan's face on the cover of every magazine: 'You were the cover of every single magazine and newspaper in Ireland, and every single one said something different,' Herd said. 'Random headline, random headline. You were the cover of every single one of those magazines, tabloids and newspapers,' to which Meghan added that this happened a couple of years ago. 'I'm in Ireland, she's back home in California with her kids doing school drop off, and she's the front page of every single one of these things?' Herd continued. 'I had this moment where I was like 'Wow, this is a different beast.'' This year has proven to be an incredibly busy one for Meghan, with not just the launch of her podcast but also her lifestyle brand As Ever and her Netflix series With Love, Meghan (not to mention the relaunch of her personal Instagram, which kicked off the New Year on January 1). This isn't Meghan's first trip to the Big Apple this year, either—she visited on March 3, when she made a surprise appearance the night before the premiere on Netflix of With Love, Meghan to see fans of her former lifestyle blog, The Tig, and while in the city, the Duchess of Sussex filmed an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show (homemade cookies in tow). Meanwhile, her husband Harry traveled in an unexpected visit from the U.K.—where he was in court this week looking to reestablish security in his home country—to Ukraine, where he visited the Superhumans Center in Lviv, which is a clinic supporting wounded military personnel. Harry—himself a veteran of the British Army, where he served for 10 years and two tours of duty in Afghanistan—was accompanied by a group from his Invictus Games Foundation, founded by Harry in 2014 to support wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and servicewomen, both veterans and those still serving. 'The visit to Superhumans was a powerful reflection of the shared mission between the Center and the Invictus Games Foundation,' Harry's office said on the Sussex website. Read the original article on InStyle
The Independent
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Meghan Markle acknowledges ‘brutalising' media backlash
Meghan Markle has made a rare acknowledgement of the 'media backlash' she's experienced in recent years. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, has been at the centre of a frenzy since her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, with every gesture, item of clothing, and business decision scrutinised and unpicked. Her husband Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that tabloid racism was a 'large part' of why the couple left the country to live in California. Analysis from Statista in 2020 showed that Markle received overwhelmingly negative media coverage with 43 per cent of articles deemed negative, 36 per cent neutral, and only 20 per cent positive. Between 2018 and 2019, she received twice as many negative headlines as positive ones, according to data. In comparison, headlines about Markle's sister-in-law and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, were 47 per cent neutral, 45 per cent positive with just 8 per cent considered negative. Comparable content, including similar outfits and holding their baby bumps, sparked diametrically opposed treatment by newspapers. For the first episode of her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder , Markle interviewed Bumble founder and close friend Whitney Wolfe Herd. The businesswoman unpacked the effects of online backlash following her departure from Tinder. Markle said she chose to (Getty Images) 'When I see the way that you've been treated in the media, which is a magnitude I'll never understand, my heart breaks for you. It's not fair, and it's brutalising,' Herd told Markle. The Duchess agreed, saying: 'Well, maybe because you understand it in whatever degree, you know how to show up for me.' Herd then recalled an experience of walking through an Irish airport and seeing Markle on 'the cover of every single magazine and newspaper'. Recalling her surprise, Herd said: 'I'm in Ireland – [you're] back home in California doing school drop-off, [you're] the front page of every single one of these things.' 'I know,' Markle agreed. Herd then praised her for her 'ability to exist even in the presence of that', adding: 'That takes a very strong cookie.' Meghan Markle has declared that she is going to 'be myself and talk and be unfiltered' in her new Spotify podcast (Archewell Audio/Spotify) The Bumble founder went on to recall not leaving her house, avoiding people and feeling 'humiliated'. Speaking about their shared experience, Markle said: 'We turtle' – a reference to the instinct to hide away in a shell. The pair then shared how they overcame their challenges. 'No matter what point you're at theres going to be a point where you're going to take a hit and you're going to have to decide whether you're going to cower, or if you're going to conquer or rise above it,' Markle said. Markle announced plans for her new podcast shortly after the release of her Netflix cooking show With Love, Meghan . Produced by Lemonada Media, the eight-part series debuted on Tuesday morning (8 April), and will explore her experiences as an entrepreneur, as she hosts fellow female business owners.
