Marshall Thundering Herd NFL Draft Prospects

Marshall finished 5-7 (3-5 in the Sun Belt) in 2025, a debut season for head coach Tony Gibson that was defined as much by close calls as by the final ledger. Four one-possession losses, including an overtime setback at Louisiana and a season-ending stumble against Georgia Southern, kept the Herd out of a bowl despite Gibson having gutted and rebuilt the roster on the fly, bringing in more than 70 new players after taking over a program that had been stripped bare in the portal.

The good news for year two is continuity where it counts. Most of the offense returns intact under coordinator Rod Smith, and a proven, run-heavy quarterback is back to run it. The rebuild now shifts to the other side of the ball, where new coordinator Brad Lambert inherits a defense that must be pieced together almost entirely from transfers.