— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall ended the 2022 season ON a five-game win streak and with a Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over the Connecticut Huskies.
Thundering Herd head coach Charles Huff was as proud of the finish as anybody, but knows that the significance of it means little when preparing for the 2023 campaign — Huff’s third in Huntington.
“We showed that when we put all three phases together, we build confidence and experience,” Huff said. “Now, we have to start all over.”
The coach, along with defensive back Owen Porter and quarterback Cam Fancher, appeared on behalf of the Herd at the league’s annual event.
𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧.
Hats off to you, @owen43_92. 🤠#SunBeltFB ☀️🏈 pic.twitter.com/2phRLZXiUp
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) July 26, 2023
Huff says a large group of returnees, especially on defense, will be bolstered by 40 new faces in fall camp — 25 transfer portal additions, five junior college transfers and 10 high school recruits.
Two new assistant coaches are also part of the mix — defensive coordinator Jason Semore, who came to Huntington from Georgia Tech — and tight ends coach Derek Shay, who was on the Missouri staff last year.
Huff believes the Herd’s offseason work has put it in position for another solid season, with progress made in the weight room and through conditioning at Joan C. Edwards Stadium and the Chris Cline Athletic Center.
“We are still closing the gap with many of our conference and non-conference opponents,” Huff said at the Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days in New Orleans. “We are a relevant program and young men know who we are when we recruit them, but we want to be more than relevant — we want to be a consistently successful program.”
Marshall was picked by Sun Belt coaches to finish fourth in the East Division and Huff says he continues to be impressed by what he believes is the top Group of 5 conference in the nation.
“The league has good leadership and it’s competitively balanced from top to bottom,” Huff said. “The fan bases are involved with the programs, leading to great passionate support.”