Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Salguero gets his shot as football depth chart revealed
9/1/2020 4:49:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Redshirt senior set to make his first career start this Saturday vs. EKU
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall senior offensive lineman Alex Salguero has his life motto tattooed on his right forearm, a tribute to his maternal grandfather's favorite saying.
The ink reads "Carpe diem," which is a popular Latin phrase that roughly translates to "seize the day." That's what the 6-foot-4, 325-pound senior from Bradenton, Florida, is trying to do. On Tuesday, Marshall Athletics released its first football depth chart of the 2020 season ahead of this Saturday's regular season opener against visiting Eastern Kentucky. Salguero is atop the depth chart at center, so he will make his first career start in front of an ESPN nationally televised audience.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
It only took Salguero five seasons on campus to make it to this moment, so there's no doubt he'll do as his late grandfather, Bill Reilly, and Reilly's favorite phrase commands.
"I had to wait my turn," Salguero said.
That's quite an understatement.
Salguero's predecessor at center, Levi Brown, made 50 career starts, becoming the 10th player in Marshall football history to reach that milestone. So Salguero had to wait and watch for four seasons. It wasn't until Brown missed 2019 spring drills that Salguero stepped into a prominent role and started to open eyes.
"I was excited about 'Sal' about Week 3 of last year," said Greg Adkins, Marshall's offensive line coach. "Levi had missed spring practice and (Salguero) really went in and ran with the ones pretty much all spring. That experience he gained in the spring really catapulted him into his junior year. Unfortunately, he was playing behind as consistent of an offensive line that we've had. I couldn't be happier for a kid who has really worked his tail off. A lot of kids today look for the easy way out and look for the easy path. This kid was the exact opposite. He stayed in the program and worked his tail off."
Now Salguero joins one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football, and he'll block for the reigning Conference USA Most Valuable Player, junior running back Brenden Knox. Marshall lists three potential starters among its tackles: seniors Will Ulmer, Tarik Adams and Josh Ball. Seniors Alex Mollette and Cain Madden return as the starting guards.
Adams has 37 career starts, Ulmer 35, Mollette 23 and Madden 22. Ball started nine games at Florida State and one last season, which gives Salguero's running mates 127 career starts. That figure is the second-most among FBS teams still playing this fall, trailing Arkansas State and ranking ahead of Georgia Tech, Virginia and Appalachian State.
Here's a look at the rest of the Thundering Herd's depth chart as the start of the season looms this weekend:
OFFENSE
X-WR
13 Broc Thompson (So., 6-2, 188, Indianapolis, Ind.)
7 Corey Gammage (R-So., 6-4, 227, Delray Beach, Fla.)
Z-WR
1 Willie Johnson (R-Sr., 6-0, 176, Fort Myers, Fla.)
0 Jaron Woodyard (R-Sr., 5-11, 180, Gaithersburg, Md.)
A-WR
9 Talik Keaton (R-So., 6-1, 188, Sarasota, Fla.)
80 Shadeed Ahmed (So., 6-0, 166, Richmond, Tx.)
LT
50 Will Ulmer (R-Sr., 6-5, 314, Richmond, Ky.)
OR 79 Josh Ball (R-Sr., 6-8, 309, Fredericksburg, Va.)
52 Ethan Driskell (R-Fr., 6-9, 315, Louisville, Ky.)
LG
55 Alex Mollette (R-Sr., 6-3, 294, Suwanee, Ga.)
54 Zack Ferris (R-So., 6-5, 311, Somerset, Ky.)
C
78 Alex Salguero (R-Sr., 6-4, 325, Bradenton, Fla.)
70 Sean Behrens (R-Sr., 6-3, 320, Lithia, Fla.)
65 Logan Osburn (R-Fr., 6-3, 296, Ona, W.Va.)
RG
62 Cain Madden (R-Sr., 6-3, 313, South Webster, Ohio)
63 James Magee (R-Jr., 6-4, 315, Anaheim, Ca.)
RT
79 Josh Ball (R-Sr., 6-8, 309, Fredericksburg, Va.)
OR 71 Tarik Adams (R-Sr., 6-4, 329, Valdosta, Ga.)
56 Kendrick Sartor (R-Jr., 6-6, 299, Cincinnati, Ohio)
TE
11 Xavier Gaines (R-Sr., 6-3, 220, Frostproof, Fla.)
83 Devin Miller (R-Jr., 6-3, 233, Metuchen, N.J.)
OR 12 Garet Morrell (R-Sr., 6-3, 251, Leesburg, Ga.)
QB
8 Grant Wells (R-Fr., 6-2, 210, Charleston, W.Va.)
17 Luke Zban (R-So., 6-2, 202, Huntington, W.Va.)
RB
20 Brenden Knox (R-Jr., 6-0, 223, Columbus, Ohio)
5 Sheldon Evans (R-Jr., 5-11, 200, Roswell, Ga.)
DEFENSE
DE
2 Darius Hodge (R-Jr., 6-2, 245, Wake Forest, N.C.)
18 Charlie Gray (Jr., 6-3, 209, Edwardsville, Ks.)
NT
92 Rodney Croom (R-Jr., 6-3, 265, Cincinnati, Ohio)
90 Esaias Carpenter (R-Jr., 6-3, 286, Wichita, Ks.)
95 Kyron Taylor (R-Jr., 6-2, 296, Homestead, Fla.)
DT
99 Jamare Edwards (R-Jr., 6-3, 270, Miami, Fla.)
15 T.J. Johnson (R-Sr., 6-5, 263, Southfield, Mich.)
59 Immanuel Bush (Fr., 6-1, 257, Lancaster, S.C.)
DE
32 Koby Cumberlander (R-Jr., 6-3, 247, Roswell, Ga.)
55 Owen Porter (R-So., 6-2, 240, Huntington, W.Va.)
58 Elijah Alston (R-Fr., 6-3, 245, Chesapeake, Va.)
SLB
41 Abraham Beauplan (Jr., 6-0, 220, Boynton Beach, Fla.)
25 J'Coryan Anderson (So., 6-2, 229, Knoxville, Tn.)
MLB
24 Eli Neal (So., 6-1, 240, Memphis, Tn.)
16 Brian Cavicante (R-Sr., 6-0, 229, Portsmouth, Va.)
WLB
4 Tavante Beckett (R-Sr., 5-10, 214, Chesapeake, Va.)
40 Domenick Murphy (R-Jr., 6-1, 215, Weirton, W.Va.)
CB
7 Jaylon McClain-Sapp (R-Sr., 5-11, 181, Jacksonville, Fla.)
10 Joshua Bowers (Jr., 5-9, 181, Bradenton, Fla.)
FS
13 Nazeeh Johnson (R-Sr., 5-10, 200, Martinsburg, W.Va.)
21 E.J. Jackson (So., 6-1, 176, Belle Glade, Fla.)
SS
1 Derrek Pitts (R-Jr., 6-0, 187, Dunbar, W.Va.)
14 Naquan Renalds (R-Jr., 6-2, 189, Winter Garden, Fla.)
CB
3 Steven Gilmore (Jr., 5-11, 175, Rock Hill, S.C.)
6 Micah Abraham (So., 5-10, 178, Tampa, Fla.)
Nickel
3 Steven Gilmore (Jr., 5-11, 175, Rock Hill, S.C.)
13 Nazeeh Johnson (R-Sr., 5-10, 200, Martinsburg, W.Va.)
SPECIALISTS
KO
97 Daton Montiel (R-Fr., 5-11, 189, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
OR 35 Cameron Shirkey (Fr., 5-10, 190, Carroll, Ohio)
PK 96 Shane Ciucci (R-So., 5-8, 180, Livonia, Mich.)
OR 35 Cameron Shirkey (Fr., 5-10, 190, Carroll, Ohio)
P
43 Robert LeFevre (R-Sr., 6-2, 209, Hilliard, Ohio)
97 Daton Montiel (R-Fr., 5-11, 189, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
H
43 Robert LeFevre (R-Sr., 6-2, 209, Hilliard, Ohio)
97 Daton Montiel (R-Fr., 5-11, 189, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
LS
48 Zach Appio (R-Jr., 5-11, 195, Normal, Ill.)
42 Eric Brown (Fr., 6-3, 218, Williamstown, W.Va.)
KR
5 Sheldon Evans (R-Jr., 5-11, 200, Roswell, Ga.)
22 Rasheen Ali (R-Fr., 6-0, 200, Cleveland, Ohio)
0 Jaron Woodyard (R-Sr., 5-11, 180, Gaithersburg, Md.)
20 Brenden Knox (R-Jr., 6-0, 223, Columbus, Ohio)
PR
9 Talik Keaton (R-So., 6-1, 188, Sarasota, Fla.)
13 Broc Thompson (So., 6-2, 188, Indianapolis, Ind.)
