Staff Report

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall athletics announced Friday that J.C. Price has been named defensive line coach for the Thundering Herd’s football program.

Price comes to Marshall after eight years at James Madison where he also coached the position and served as the staff’s defensive run-game coordinator.

During his time with the Dukes, JMU defensive linemen were named to an All-Colonial Athletic Association team 16 times and to an All-America team on seven occasions.

Two of Price’s student-athletes signed NFL contracts, while a third was a sixth-round draft choice.

Price helped JMU to five FCS playoff appearances, capturing the national championship in 2004.

Statistically, he helped lead a unit that was a mainstay among the national defensive statistical leaders, leading the nation in sacks twice (2004, 2006) and finishing in the top three 10 times. The Dukes’ 57 sacks in 2004 was a single-season FCS record.

“J.C. is an excellent addition to our staff and will be a relentless recruiter for us in Maryland and Virginia,” Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said. “He has had tremendous success at JMU and we are eager to welcome him to the Marshall Football family.”

Prior to his JMU stint, Price was a four-year letterman for Virginia Tech where he helped the Hokies win a Big East title and earned first-team All-Big East and third-team All-America honors from his defensive end spot.

He was a third round selection by the Carolina Panthers in the 1996 NFL Draft and was with the Arizona Cardinals for two subsequent seasons.

“Football at Marshall has such a rich history,” said Price. “I look forward to helping the program build on its recent success.”

After his playing career, he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Virginia Tech for two years and then went on to Radford High School, where he was defensive line coach and defensive coordinator from 1999-2001.

He returned to Blacksburg in 2002 where he served as a graduate assistant coach for the Hokies for two seasons.

Price earned bachelor’s degrees in interdisciplinary studies (1998) and health and education (2002) from Virginia Tech.

He and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters, Madison Jane and Riley Elizabeth.