2016 SPRING PREVIEW: 5 More Things To Look For

Football season is back. Well, for at least a little while.

Marshall will take the field today for its first spring practice of 2016. Several positions are up for grabs and players will be fighting and competing to show who will make the next big impact on the Thundering Herd program.

Yesterday we took a look at part one of ‘things to look for’ this spring. As you might have guessed, part two debuts today. While you wait on the first practice report of the spring, take a stroll over to Old Fairfield and discuss your opinions on some other major questions or things you will be paying attention to this spring. And if you aren’t already a subscriber, what are you waiting on? Do not miss all the coverage of spring practice brought to you by Herd Nation and the discussion on Old Fairfield. You will not regret it.

Now, here is part two:

For the second consecutive season Marshall will be replacing the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Heading into 2015 it was linebacker Neville Hewitt and 2016 it is linebacker Evan McKelvey, who racked up 117 tackles. The Herd will also have to replace outside linebacker D.J. Hunter who had 60 tackles. Both players brought a lot of speed, experience and leadership to the field and it will be difficult to replace both.

Luckily for coach Fuller, he has some good options to work with in 2016. Devontre’a Tyler will man the middle again this season as a senior coming from the JUCO ranks in 2015. Raheim Huskey returns and will play behind Tyler at the mike, according to an interview with Chuck Heater done by Jack Bogaczyk. In the same interview, Heater said Shawn Petty and Arizona State transfer Davon Durant will compete to replace McKelvey on the weak side while Chase Hancock and Frankie Hernandez will do the same at Hunter’s outside spot.

Hancock and Hernandez are in the similar body type of Hunter while Petty and Durant will be a little bit bigger than McKelvey (both in the 240-pound range). Marshall has recruited well and found a couple of talented transfers and is in good position to keep producing good linebackers.

Throughout the final stages of the 2016 recruiting cycle all the talk was about whether JUCO defensive tackle Tyrell Chavis would pick Marshall or one of the big boys. Well had he been a mid-year guy he may be in Huntington, but he opted to sign with Penn State in the end.

The defensive line (defensive tackle more specifically) is another position where Marshall will be replacing major talent with the loss of Jarquez Samuel, Steve Dillon and Ricardo Williams to graduation. The Herd will also need to replace Armonze Daniel at end.

Fortunately, the Herd has a stockpile of young players that will be competing for playing time this spring. There is a lot of talent there, just not a lot of experience. Marshall has four guys in Nyquan Harris, Jason Smith, Tomell One and Malik Thompson battling for the two inside spots. Gary Thompson, Ryan Bee, Blake Keller and Joe Massaquoi return at end.

If injuries pile up I think depth up the middle could be a concern, which is why the staff wanted Chavis, but there are four guys there who can be good players if injuries can be avoided. Defensive end should have some solid depth with new blood like Ty Tyler, Damien Dozier and Milan Lanier coming into the mix. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lanier or Tyler gets some work (depending on their weight heading into this spring) on the inside just as insurance. Again, the talent is there it is about finding consistency.

The cornerback position is likely one of the biggest, if not the biggest, storyline heading into this spring. At least on the defensive side, certainly. The departures of Corey Tindal (NFL Draft), Keith Baxter (graduation) and Antonio Howard (injuries) left some major depth concerns rolling in to the new season. Add on the injuries to Chris Williams-Hall and Antavis Rowe, which will keep both out this spring and there is not a ton of depth at corner.

Rodney Allen will return as the likely number one corner. Allen is still learning the position, but showed good promise last season at corner. Rowe will likely assume the nickel spot once he returns from injury or he may get a look on the outside. Beyond Allen and Rowe, not much is known about the rest of the cornerbacks on the roster.

TJ Griffin saw some action last season, but not much was learned about his skills, in my opinion. Chocolate Wilson and Michael Johnson will get their turns after waiting patiently in the footsteps of talent players like Tindal and Baxter last season and Darryl Roberts in 2015 and so on. Chris Jackson will also be in the mix as a mid-year enrollee.

Heater will only have five cornerbacks to work with this spring. In the fall, however, reinforcements will arrive with Jaylon Sapp and Jestin Morrow.

Injuries this spring could provide an opportunity for a number of newcomers to make a name for themselves and crack the playing rotation in the fall. Someone will need to step up. Conference USA is a wide-open offensive league and good cornerback play is a must if your defense is to survive. Who is next for the Herd?

The addition of CJ Reavis to the program and development of Kendall Gant last season has made the outlook at Safety in 2016 much more interesting.

After the loss of AJ Leggett last year it appeared Tiquan Lang may be the only proven commodity at safety going into 2016. Injuries to Lang last season provided Gant an opportunity to play and he impressed at the position. With Gant’s development and the addition of Reavis, who is expected to make an impact off his past credentials, Marshall should have three good safeties to work with.

It will be interesting to see how the reps are split between the three and if the staff will experiment with Reavis at corner to see if he can help there as well. Corey Neely, Cody Carter and Jeremiah Maddox will provide depth.

Safety has been a strong point for Marshall the past couple seasons. in 2016, the position has experience and talent returning with new talent waiting in the wings.

Marshall’s unsung hero last season had to be Deandre Reaves. The senior became a major weapon on offense and could change a game on special teams in the blink of an eye. Just ask Kent State. Or Connecticut.

Someone has some immensely large shoes to fill at kick and punt returner. I mean Reaves was only the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year in 2015.

Unless the possibility of becoming the number one running back takes him out of the running, I expect Hyleck Foster to get the first crack at kickoff and punt return duties. Gator Green will certainly get a look and most likely Chris Jackson as well. After that it is wide open, in my opinion. Rodney Allen may get a look. Or someone who is under the radar may get a look.

Doc has plenty of speed at his disposal. If Foster has fixed his fumbling issues he may choose the Gaffney product simply because of experience. But, guys like Green or Jackson have blazing speed and could be better fits. I think this spot is wide open heading into the spring, but Foster’s experience may give him the upper-hand in the end.

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