SUN BELT FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 9 OF 14
2026 Season Snapshot • Huntington, West Virginia
5-7 (3-5 Sun Belt)
SBC
Live schedule, lines and results for Marshall.
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HEAD COACH
Tony Gibson — 2nd season at Marshall
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
5–7 at Marshall
A West Virginia native who spent six seasons as NC State's defensive coordinator (developed Bednarik/Butkus winner Payton Wilson) before coming home to lead his home-state program. Hired the day after Marshall won its first-ever Sun Belt Championship, inheriting a roster where every notable returning piece (all three 2025 QBs, the leading rusher, top receivers, top tacklers) entered the transfer portal at once.
MARSHALL ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 5-7 (3-5 Sun Belt), a real step down after the program's first Sun Belt title the year before. A true Year 1 transition season under Gibson, following a near-total roster overhaul inherited from the coaching change.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$1.0M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per On3/ESPN (5-yr deal, $1M annually, a raise from predecessor Charles Huff's $750K; $4M buyout if Gibson leaves for another Division I job before Feb. 2026). Marshall has not disclosed a team NIL figure.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Rod Smith • 2nd season • Spread option
Enters year two with real continuity around Del Rio-Wilson, the reigning Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Five Marshall players earned 2026 Preseason All-Sun Belt honors on offense alone (Del Rio-Wilson, TE Toby Payne, WR Adrian Norton, OL Jalen Slappy and Tariq Montgomery).
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Shannon Morrison • 2nd season • Base 3-3-5
Enters year two of a defense that returns real decorated talent: DE Braydin Ward and LB Javae Gilmore both earned 2026 Preseason All-Sun Belt second-team honors, plus DB Daytione Smith on the first team.
2025 RECORD
5–7 (3–5 Sun Belt)
A true transition-year record following the near-total roster turnover inherited from the coaching change. Marshall was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt East for 2026, a real step up in outside expectations for year two.
HOME FIELD
Joan C. Edwards Stadium
Artificial turf (AstroTurf), Huntington. Home to a program that won its first- ever Sun Belt title in 2024 before a total roster reset — Gibson's second season is a real test of whether that portal-built roster has stabilized.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Carlos Del Rio-Wilson | — | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All- Sun Belt selection — the most decorated returning quarterback in the conference entering the season. |
| TE1 | Toby Payne | — | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; a real, established weapon giving Del Rio-Wilson a reliable target underneath. |
| WR1 | Adrian Norton | — | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear top outside receiving threat as Marshall's offense enters year two of stability under Rod Smith. |
2026 Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All- Sun Belt selection — the most decorated returning quarterback in the conference entering the season.
2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; a real, established weapon giving Del Rio-Wilson a reliable target underneath.
2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear top outside receiving threat as Marshall's offense enters year two of stability under Rod Smith.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Slappy | OL | — | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; anchors a genuinely decorated offensive line entering year two of Gibson's system. |
| Tariq Montgomery | OL | — | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt alongside Slappy — Marshall boasts two first-team linemen, real, decorated continuity up front. |
2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; anchors a genuinely decorated offensive line entering year two of Gibson's system.
2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt alongside Slappy — Marshall boasts two first-team linemen, real, decorated continuity up front.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Braydin Ward | DE | 2026 Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear leader of a defensive front with real returning continuity in year two under DC Shannon Morrison. |
2026 Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear leader of a defensive front with real returning continuity in year two under DC Shannon Morrison.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytione Smith | DB | ★★★★★ | 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear anchor of a secondary with real proven quality entering year two. |
2026 Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt; the clear anchor of a secondary with real proven quality entering year two.
2025 ATS
7-5
58.3% cover rate — 28th of 82
2025 Straight up
5-7
Point differential +6
Scoring environment
61
Combined points per game — 6th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
4-2 · 3-3
Totals 6-6 O/U (3-3 home, 3-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
30.8 per game scored (26th) · 30.3 allowed (67th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +0.5 (51st) · Strength of schedule -11.1
SRS power rating
-10
68th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-5.3
65th of 82
Defensive SRS
-9.2
74th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+0.5 · 51st of 82
Against the spread
7-5 (58.3%) · 28th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
61 · 6th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Marshall.
Gibson took over after literally every notable returning piece from the title team entered the portal at once — 2025 was a real, understandable rebuild year, not a talent evaluation failure.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson is the 2026 Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year — a real signal that Gibson's portal-heavy Year 1 class has already produced the conference's most decorated returning quarterback.
Gibson specifically prioritized older transfer-portal running backs and a veteran QB addition over high school recruits at those positions — a real, stated program-building philosophy.
Two Preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt linemen returning is a genuine, elite foundation for a Preseason Offensive Player of the Year QB — among the best O-line situations in the conference.
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