BREAKING: Marshall Thundering Herd Announces Former NC State Defensive Coordinator as Head Coach

N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has been appointed as the head coach at Marshall, following the announcement of Thundering Herd coach Charles Huff taking a position at Southern Miss.

At 52 years old, Gibson is stepping into his first head coaching role in college football and returning to his home state, where he has had two tenures at West Virginia over the past 20 years. The terms of his contract have not yet been made public.

“We could not be happier to welcome Tony Gibson home as our 32nd head coach at Marshall University,” said school President Brad Smith in a statement. “Coach Gibson has led some of the top programs on the national level, but in the end, his heart desired to return to the mountains from which he came.”

Gibson’s hiring came less than an hour after Huff was announced as Southern Miss’s coach. Huff had previously led Marshall to a 31-3 win over Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt championship the night before. Under Huff’s leadership, Marshall secured a successful 10-win season with a total of 10-3, including seven consecutive victories.

Gibson began his coaching career at West Virginia, where he worked with defensive backs from 2001 to 2007 under Rich Rodriguez. He returned in 2013 to coach safeties under Dana Holgorsen and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2014, holding that position until Holgorsen left at the end of the 2018 season. Prior to this, he spent six seasons with N.C. State and had coaching roles at Pitt and with Rodriguez at Michigan and Arizona.

This past season, N.C. State’s defense struggled, ranking near the bottom of the ACC by allowing an average of 30.5 points and 385 yards per game. The Wolfpack’s strongest season under Gibson occurred in 2022 when they tied with Louisville for the fewest points allowed, averaging 19.2 points per game, and ranked second in yards allowed at 327.

“My family and I are excited to start this journey, but we all thank you for your support and the wonderful memories,” Gibson expressed in a post on social media directed at the N.C. State community.

A native of Van, West Virginia, Gibson graduated from Glenville State in 1994, where he played as a defensive back.

“We have recruited a proven coach that aspires to be at Marshall and to sustain the success we have come to appreciate and expect,” said athletic director Christian Spears. “We can’t wait to get started with him and his staff.”

In the interim, Marshall’s associate head coach Telly Lockette will take over for the Independence Bowl against No. 19 Army (11-1) on December 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. One of Gibson’s primary responsibilities will be to rebuild Marshall’s roster, as the Thundering Herd signed only 11 recruits during the recent early signing period.

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