Marshall University Athletics
Football Spring Practice Starts Tuesday
3/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 26, 2007
HUNTINGTON - Marshall University head football coach Mark Snyder welcomes back 15 starters and 38 letterwinners when the team opens spring practice with its first session Tuesday.
"We are excited about getting spring ball underway and getting to work out there," Snyder said. "Spring is a very important time for our football team and I am looking forward to getting on the field."
The Thundering Herd will conduct a closed practice session on Tuesday and allow fans to attend practice sessions on both Thursday and Saturday of this week. The public practices are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Marshall, which is coming off of a 5-7 season, returns 15 starters and a solid core of playmakers to build around in 2007. Among the top returnees are senior center Doug Legursky, junior defensive end Albert McClellan and sophomore tight end Cody Slate.
Legursky, a native of Beckley, W.Va., earned first-team All-Conference USA honors last season after recording 28 pancake blocks and 39 knockdowns. The two-time Rimington Trophy watch-list selection did not allow a sack last year and has started in 23 consecutive games. Legursky has already been named to the 2007 Rotary Lombardi Award preseason watch list.
McClellan, a junior from Lakeland, Fla., enjoyed an incredible sophomore season. He recorded a C-USA best 11 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles en route to earning first-team All-Conference USA honors and being named the 2006 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year by league media members. He finished the season ranked sixth nationally in tackles for loss, seventh in sacks and tied for 10th in forced fumbles. McClellan joins Legursky as a 2007 preseason Rotary Lombardi Award watch list selection.
Slate, a sophomore from Chipley, Fla., is coming off of an incredible freshman campaign. Slate became the first freshman to lead Marshall in receiving since Randy Moss in 1996 by recording 43 catches for 684 yards and six touchdowns. Slate earned first-team all-conference honors from the league media and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. He was the top pass catching freshman in the conference last season regardless of position and ranked among the top tight ends nationally. He earned freshman all-america honors from several organizations in 2006.
Among the other notable returnees for Marshall are junior wide receiver Emmanuel Spann who earned C-USA third-team honors a year ago, junior guard Brian Leggett who started all 12 games last season, senior guard David Ziegler who started every game a year ago, senior quarterback Bernard Morris who is Marshall's top returning rusher and passer from a year ago, junior safety C.J. Spillman who is Marshall's top returning tackles with 79 stops a year ago, junior middle linebacker Josh Johnson who recorded 72 tackles and earned honorable mention all-conference accolades last season, sophomore cornerback Zearrick Matthews, senior defensive lineman Byron Tinker and junior linebacker Ian Hoskins.
Marshall will be looking to add depth across the board this spring with emphasis on the two offensive tackle spots that were vacated with the graduation of Seth Cook and Wesley Jones and the defensive line that lost Juan Underwood and Shavar Greer. Marshall must also replace standout running back Ahmad Bradshaw who left school in January and declared for the NFL draft and develop depth at quarterback. Juniors Chubb Small and Kelvin Turner will push each other at running back, while sophomore Wesley Beardain and redshirt freshman Brian Anderson will vye for snaps at quarterback.
This will be the spring debut for several new faces on the Herd roster. Among them are redshirt-freshman tight end Lee Smith (6-6, 245) who transferred last season from the University of Tennessee, junior college defensive lineman Montel Glasco (6-3, 279), junior college receiver Darius Passmore (6-3, 180), and junior college defensive back Aaron Johnson (5-11, 190).
Several position changes have also been made for this spring. Clink Eakles and Cody Tominack will both be moving to linebacker. Sophomore James Burkes is switching from the offensive line to the defensive side of the ball. Nick Newell has moved from quarterback to tight end and Marcus Broadwater is now listed as a wide receiver.
Tuesday's practice is the first of 15 allowed by the NCAA. Marshall will conduct a practice that is open to the public at Charleston's Laidley Field (UC Stadium) on Saturday, April 7 and conclude spring drills with the annual Green-White game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on April 21 at 3 p.m.
