Tag: Marshall Thundering Herd

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 59, Marshall RB Rasheen Ali

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Marshall running back Rasheen Ali.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

In a span of a few hours, the Green Bay Packers agreed to terms with Josh Jacobs and released Aaron Jones.

Instead of having to find Jones a new running mate, Brian Gutekunst will now look to find a running back to pair with the team’s new running back.

A prospect they could target in the 2024 NFL Draft as they look to round out the running back depth chart is Rasheen Ali. The Marshall tailback checks in at No. 59 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

A former two-star recruit out of Ohio, Ali broke out in 2021, when he rushed for 1,401 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 45 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown. The following season, Ali missed a large portion of the season due to a leg injury. 

This past season, Ali rushed for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Ohio native added 28 receptions for 213 yards and one touchdown. 

“The Marshall offense was designed, in large part, for Ali to have success and get the bulk of the touches,” Luke Creasy, the Marshall athletics beat writer for The Herald-Dispatch, said. “The passing attack hasn’t been that strong for the past couple of years and Ali would’ve likely ended his collegiate career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons had he not been injured in preseason camp causing him to miss ten games in 2022. The Herd relied on running backs to produce and Ali delivered.”

Ali runs with good patience and tempo. The Marshall running back has good vision and an innate ability to find the cutback lane. He makes sharp cuts without gearing down. He clears the hole with burst and can get to top speed quickly. 

“He’s a patient runner,” Creasy said. “If there’s no lane, he’ll wait for space to open up and then try to hit the gaps. He burned several defenders on runs up the middle and by bouncing to the outside last year and if he got in space, there’s an extra burst of speed reserved for when he hits the open field.”

Ali is explosive in short areas and he finds a second gear to destroy pursuit angles. He has home-run ability and finished this past season with 24 runs of 10-plus yards. According to Pro Football Focus, Ali racked up 536 yards after contact this past season. 

‘When he gets in the open field he’s hard to grab,” Creasy said. “He’s shifty at the line of scrimmage and then can turn on the burners. He’s tough to tackle in space unless there’s someone quick enough to catch him from behind.”

Ali looks natural catching passes and running routes. He’s shifty out in space and can turn a simple swing pass into an explosive play. 

“He was more of a factor in the passing game later in his career than he was at the start and that’s a testament to his continued growth while at Marshall,” Creasy said. “He’s elusive in the open field and the Herd ran him out wide plenty last season, connecting on a couple different occasions. He’s got good hands, great awareness and can line up anywhere on the field.”

Fit with the Packers

Jacobs just turned 26 years old in February and is a year removed from leading the league in rushing. It’s now up to Gutekunst to find a running back that will pair nicely with the former Las Vegas Raider.

Ali checks the boxes with his explosiveness, vision and pass-catching potential. With the Packers owning six Day 3 picks, Ali could be a target for the Packers as they aim to round out their running back room behind Jones. 

“He’s a versatile piece in any offensive system and has shown the ability to make value for himself in any offense,” Creasy said. “There was a major shift in offensive scheme between his breakout year in 2021 and final season in 2023 and, in both, he managed to find a way to be the most productive offensive player on the field. Mentally, he’s as tough as they come.”

The signing of Jacobs came as a major surprise. For a few short minutes, Green Bay fans were envisioning a one-two punch of Jones and Jacobs.

Now, it’s up to Gutekunst to add a running back or two in the draft to team with Jacobs to round out the running back room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

11 takeaways from National team Senior Bowl practice day 1

Vikings Wire Tyler Forness gives insight on day one of practice for the Reese’s Senior Bowl’s National Team

The road to the NFL Draft has started as the Reese’s Senior Bowl is underway in Mobile, Alabama this week. Vikings Wire Managing Editor Tyler Forness has boots on the ground in Hancock-Whitney Stadium, home of the South Alabama Jaguars, giving us a first-hand look at the prospects who hope to live out their dreams as NFL players in April. 

For some, it’s a foregone conclusion that they will hear their names called as the draft rolls around. For others, they will have to earn that right. Forness will give us his insights as this week of practice goes along and highlight names that fans of all teams, not just the Minnesota Vikings, should keep their eye on. 

We start with the National Team, who ended their practice Tuesday morning.

UTSA dominates Marshall for Frisco Bowl title

Marshall and UTSA both featured the sons of longtime NFL quarterbacks on Tuesday, but the Roadrunners marched over the Thundering Herd for a big victory.

The UTSA Roadrunners dominated the Marshall Thundering Herd on Tuesday for a 35-17 victory in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl after pulling away with three touchdowns in the second quarter.

Marshall jumped out to an early lead with the first two touchdowns of the game, including a 64-yard run from junior running back Rasheen Ali. The Thundering Herd tailback finished with 92 yards on just nine carries for the afternoon.

The Marshall momentum was short-lived, however. The Roadrunners scored three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes of the first half, including a pair of short-yardage rumbles from running back Robert Henry. The junior found the end zone from three yards out early in the quarter before a 1-yard plunge in the final minute of the half gave UTSA the lead.

The Roadrunners never gave the lead back in the second half. In fact, UTSA kept the Marshall offense scoreless for the final 35 minutes of the game. UTSA quarterback Owen McCown, the son of longtime NFL journeyman Josh McCown, led the Roadrunners passing attack efficiently. He threw for 251 yards on 31 attempts, throwing two touchdowns and interceptions apiece.

McCown won the duel of the NFL sons, as Marshall quarterback Cole Pennington also has a famous father. The son of NFL quarterback Chad Pennington wasn’t as sharp as his opponent, completing just 15 of 33 passes for 258 yards.

At the end of the day, sophomore UTSA running back Rocko Griffin waltzed into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to give his team a three-score lead, and the comeback was sealed. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor got the sponsor’s titular coffee dumped down his back in jubilation a few minutes early, and the Roadrunners could celebrate the final win of a 9-4 season.

Here are the best images from Tuesday’s game.

Report: LSU hosting Marshall transfer QB this week

The Tigers continue to pursue transfer portal quarterbacks with starting experience.

While LSU expects to return veteran backup [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] in 2024, that hasn’t stopped the team from working the transfer quarterback market.

The Tigers reportedly held an in-home visit with NC State quarterback MJ Morris last week, and he’s not the only portal passer they’re pursuing. According to 247Sports’ Clint Brewster, LSU will host Marshall transfer [autotag]Cam Fancher[/autotag] this week, as will the Wolfpack, ironically.

In three years with the Thundering Herd, Fancher appeared in 25 games. He’s been a starter the last two seasons, though he battled injuries this fall and threw as many touchdowns (11) as interceptions. In three seasons in Huntington, West Virginia, he threw for 3,766 yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing 61% of his passes.

A dual-threat quarterback, he also added 757 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Per Brewster, Oregon State, Western Kentucky, FAU, Baylor and UTSA are also in the mix.

Given Fancher’s inconsistent play and an offer list that features primarily Group of Five teams, he may be more of a depth target than a potential starter.

But a quarterback room can change drastically in the portal era, and it’s clear that Brian Kelly and the staff want to bring in a signal-caller with some starting experience to a room that currently features no players who have started a college game.

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Former Penn State assistant mentioned as potential candidate for Michigan State

With Michigan State in need of a new head coach, this former Penn State assistant could be a name to watch.

The Big Ten has two head coaching vacancies that need to be filled before getting to October, and a former Penn State assistant under James Franklin could be a name worth following as a potential candidate for at least one of the job openings. Michigan State officially parted ways with Mel Tucker following an explosive investigative report into alleged misconduct. Michigan State made the move citing Tucker bringing embarrassment to ths the job search for the next head coach of Michigan State officially gets underway, one of Franklin’s former assistants was ranked as a worthy candidate on the radar.

Marshall head coach [autotag]Charles Huff[/autotag] was among the top 10 coaching candidates highlighted by Spartans Wire. It is easy to see why Huff ranks relatively high on the ranking too.

“A lot of buzz has been centered around Marshall’s [autotag]Charles Huff[/autotag], and admittedly he could be on a rise on this list as the season goes on, but now he checks in at No. 4 after a huge win over Virginia Tech and starting 3-0 this season,” Spartans Wire noted in its power ranking of the top 10 coaching candidates for the program.

Huff spent the 2011 season as an offensive quality control assistant for James Franklin at Vanderbilt. The two previously worked together on the Maryland coaching staff as well in 2009. Huff reunited with Franklin when Franklin took the head coaching job at Penn State in 2014. Huff served as the team’s running backs coach and special teams coach for four seasons before leaving for Mississippi State to be an assistant head coach and running game coordinator for Joe Moorhead, who left his position as Penn State’s offensive coordinator to be the head coach of the SEC program.

Huff spent one season at Mississippi State and moved to Alabama to be an assistant head coach and running backs coach for Nick Saban, who is also a former head coach at Michigan State. Huff took the head coaching job at Marshall in 2021 and immediately took the Thundering Herd to a 7-6 record in his first season and 9-4 in 2022. Huff has Marshall off to a 3-0 start following this past weekend’s victory over Virginia Tech, coached by former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

Huff is clearly a coach on the rise and has a well-respected profile as a candidate for the Michigan State job. We’ll see if he gets a chance to interview for the job as the Michigan State job search moves forward.

Countdown to Kickoff: 7 best Group of Five players

The countdown to kickoff continues with the seven best Group of Five players in the country.

Through College Sports Wire’s countdown to kickoff, the Power Five has been overwhelming the focus, and rightfully so. It’s time to look at the Group of Five and its top seven players entering this fall.

The Group of Five’s place in today’s college football landscape is interesting. Thanks to the transfer portal, many of the top players from Group of Five player programs eventually end up at Power Five programs. This was one major worry about the transfer portal and its potential impacts.

There are Groups of Five stars who still have chosen to stay at their respective programs – which is excellent news for college football. While the Group of Five has rarely produced true competitors for national championships, it remains a vital part of college football and what makes the sport special.

This caliber of players choosing to stay at Group of Five programs will only ensure that college football, despite widespread changes, remains healthy from top to bottom.

Honorable mentions for players who just missed the cut in today’s list include Southern Mississippi’s Frank Gore Jr., Colorado State’s Tory Horton, and Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley,

25 best college football records in the last 10 years

Here are the top 25 records in college football since 2013. Are you surprised by any of these?

As much as you may not like to admit it, the 2013 college football season was a decade ago, and a lot has happened in the sport since then. Florida State stormed its way up through the rankings with a Heisman Trophy winner in Jameis Winston to win the final BCS national championship in history before the sport changed over to the new College Football Playoff in 2014. But the more time passed, some things seemed to be the same.

Alabama continued to dominate more often than not. Ohio State racked up more wins among Big Ten teams than anyone. And the top Group of 5 contenders typically came form the same group. But what schools have had the most success in the win column over the past decade as we begin to prepare for the 2023 season? The answer is not at all surprising, but the order in how the top 25 teams rank may give you a few surprises once you look through the records. It can also give you a reminder that while the past couple of seasons may have been great for some, the past decade saw things even out a little bit here and there.

Here is a look at the best records among FBS college football programs since the start of the 2013 season up through the end of the 2022 season. The records referenced are sourced from Team Rankings.

Former Ohio State safety Jahsen Wint finds a new home

Jahsen Wint finds a new home in Huntington, West Virginia for the 2023 season.

Shortly after finding out that former Ohio State defensive back, Amir Riep would continue his football at Lincoln University in Oakland, California, we now know where Jahsen Wint will resume his career. Wint announced that he has committed to Marshall University.

In a YouTube video that is close to nine minutes long, Wint takes you on a journey in three parts. Starting with his upbringing and walking through the events that happened during and after his case, the former Buckeye announced he will be attending Marshall in the fall.

You can watch Wint’s video in its entirety below courtesy of his personal Twitter feed. However, please be warned there is some adult language.

Wint came to Ohio State in 2016 and spent four seasons in Scarlet and Gray. He appeared in 35 games with the Buckeyes and became part of the rotation in 2018. He recorded 39 tackles and a sack in his OSU career.

Wint will look to step in immediately to help the Thundering Herd who went 9-4 in 2022, ending the season with a win over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

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Former Marshall center taking official transfer portal visit to Florida

The Gators are looking at former Marshall center Micah Handlogten in the transfer portal and will host him on an official visit at the end of the week.

The Florida Gators will host former Marshall center [autotag]Micah Handlogten[/autotag] on an official visit, as Todd Golden and Co. continue to look for transfer portal additions to the team, according to 247Sports.

The 7-foot-1-inch, 227-pound Sun Belt Freshman of the Year entered the transfer portal after averaging 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in 2023 for the Thundering Herd. Handlogten is considered one of the nation’s premier transfer centers and would be a major addition to Florida’s depleted frontcourt.

The Gators are among nearly two dozen programs that reached out to Handlogten after he entered the portal. North Carolina State is considered the other major player in this race, but Arkansas, Auburn and Indiana are all pushing hard as well.

Florida will get a chance to leave a good impression on him when he visits on April 6-8 and ios planning on visiting the Wolfpack too at some point. His three other official visits aren’t yet decided.

After losing Colin Castleton, Jason Jitoboh and CJ Felder, Florida needs to add a big man to the team. Handlogten fits the bill and he’s still growing. If he can continue to add muscle to his already massive frame, Handlogten could be a serious threat in the Southeastern Conference.

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Ohio State football reportedly finds its new Director of Player Personnel

Votteler will be a big help to Ohio State’s recruiting efforts #GoBucks

When former [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] Director of Player Personnel [autotag]Zach Grant[/autotag] left in December, everyone figured that head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] would make a quick hire.

Although it took a few months to find Grant’s replacement, Day has indeed found it according to multiple reports. It comes by way of [autotag]Marc Votteler[/autotag]. The Buckeyes are apparently set to hire away Marshall’s general manager, and before you question the move, Votteler had previous stops as the Assistant Director of PlayerPpersonnel at Alabama, UCF, and Tennessee.

In other words, the experience is there, and now [autotag]Mark Pantoni[/autotag], the Assistant Athletic Director of Player Personnel, has found his next helper. (Insert joke from The Office about being an assistant to the assistant.)

Votteler will now help Pantoni in the recruiting department, one where Ohio State has been extremely successful.

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