HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Michael Lamb has seen and heard about Marshall football almost all his life. Now, he will experience its sights and sounds first-hand.

Following his father Ray Lamb who lettered as a tackle in 1984-85 under Stan Parrish, Michael begins his own stint with the Thundering Herd as a tight end under coach Mark Snyder.

“It’s nice and I like it here,” said Lamb. “(Ray Lamb playing at Marshall) is pretty much the reason I came here. It’s close to home and I grew up watching Marshall. I can’t wait to come running out of that tunnel on game day and start playing.”

Snyder has only watched Lamb for a few days, but he’s been pleased with what he has seen.

“He’s doing well. We have our players run 20 sprints (across the field and back is one) and I only make the freshmen do 10, but he did all 20,” said Snyder. “We’ll make him stronger and add some weight. He’s a little undersized right now. I think he’s going to help our scout team give us a good look.”

Lamb knows he must work on his physical size and strength, but he adds that increasing his foot speed is another area of concern.

“I’m just trying to get familiar with the people and the playbook right now. I need to get bigger. I want to put some weight on and get stronger. I need to get my body right and learn everything,” said Lamb.

As a red-shirt freshman, Lamb will spend the season practicing behind seven other tight ends including veterans like All-American candidate Cody Slate, Lee Smith, Jamie Hatten, Robert Henry and Zack Tenuta. For now, he plans to wait his time and learn as much as possible.

“My hands are just as good as anyone. I need to get my speed down,” said Lamb. “I’m somewhere between Lee and Cody (in comparing of tight end styles). I ran all summer and I’ve been lifting all summer. I just want to get bigger.”

After playing at Fairland the previous season, Lamb put up strong numbers last year in earning first team All-Ohio honors for the Ironton Fighting Tigers. A preferred red-shirt freshman walk-on this fall, Lamb is expected to gain scholarship status next season.

Lamb caught a team-high 23 passes for 461 yards and three touchdowns in helping Ironton reach the Division IV playoffs and a berth in the regional semifinals. He was voted to the annual Ohio High School Football Coaches Association North/South All-Star Classic.

“It’s completely different (than high school). There’s a lot more responsibility. It’s been really hectic. I’m clueless about everything,” said Lamb who also played defensive end in high school.

“My focus is on offense. I like offense better. I really want to concentrate on one position. I just want to start playing football.”