By GRANT TRAYLOR

Marshall Sports Information

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall’s football program welcomed several new members of its family during National Signing Day festivities on Wednesday.

Fresh off a 9-4 season and victory in the Myrtle Beach Bowl that ended the year with a five-game winning streak, Marshall head coach Charles Huff said the additions of the eight players announced fills several needs due to graduation losses while building a baseline for the rest of the class as well.

 “Obviously, we are extremely excited about the young men joining our team,” Huff said. “A lot of these young men, we’ve developed relationships with them and their families over the past year, so to finally bring a birthdate to them joining our family is exciting. There’s a good variety of talent, size, speed, strength and toughness – aspects that we were looking for in players to join our family.”

 Of the eight members announced on Wednesday, three were defensive backs, solidifying the Thundering Herd’s losses due to graduation after the 2022 season.

 Those players include Ohio’s Caleb Clark-Glover, Indiana’s C.J. Davis and Florida’s Ahmere Foster – all of which were listed as three-star recruits coming in.

 “The flexibility that we were able to create this year, keeping healthy guys on the field and playing the type of defense we play, you have to have multiple skill-set guys,” Huff said. “We fixed some of our questions. We lost some DBs due to graduation and this helps us restock some of those positions.”

 In addition to the three defensive backs, Marshall added a player whose name will bring up memories within the Thundering Herd fanbase – Ohio linebacker Jaden Yates, the son of former Marshall linebacker Max Yates.

 “It’s important to always be able to keep the legacy train connected,” Huff said. “We have to mindful in creating lanes in where the young men coming can create their own path of success, just like their parents did.”

 The Thundering Herd also added a local product to its family today in offensive lineman Shawn Rouse, a standout at Cabell Midland High School, which also produced starting center Logan Osburn.

Other offensive additions announced include Morehead State transfer quarterback Colin Parachek and South Carolina-based product Tracy Stephens, who brings a 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame to the tight end room.

 Marshall also added Kentucky-based defensive lineman Beni Tshita, a 6-3, 260-pound product from Dupont Manual High School, on Wednesday. Tshita is one of five three-star recruits included in Wednesday’s announced signing class.

 Huff said that Marshall will continue to be aggressive in its recruitment of the NCAA Transfer Portal, as the program looks to continue the success in the portal that has been seen in each of his first two years as head coach of the Thundering Herd.

 The final National Signing Day for the Class of 2023 is set for Feb. 1.