Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Head Coach Tony Gibson Announces 2025 Coordinators
1/8/2025 10:35:00 AM | Football
Rod Smith named Herd’s new OC; Shannon Morrison to lead Herd defense
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football head coach Tony Gibson announced the coordinators for his 2025 staff on Wednesday.
Rod Smith will join the Herd as the new Offensive Coordinator while a pair of Marshall alums take over Defense and Special Teams with Shannon Morrison returning to lead the defense and former Herd quarterback Jackson White serving as Special Teams Coordinator.
"I'm excited to have these guys serve as coordinators on my first staff here at Marshall," Gibson said. "Rod's experience and expertise speaks for itself as he's coached some great quarterbacks who went on to Player of the Year honors – Denard Robinson, Pat White, Khalil Tate and Tyler Huff. Shannon is entrenched with Marshall's program and has seen success defensively throughout his career and Jackson is someone I've watched grow during his time at N.C. State and also has close ties to Marshall, having played here.
"The best thing about this group is they all have ties to the state of West Virginia and Marshall, and they will be fully invested in the team, the community, the state and making sure we play at a high level. We're excited to get rolling with them."
Here is a capsulized look at each coordinator who will be on the Herd sidelines in 2025.
Rod Smith
Smith joins Marshall's staff as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach after serving in the same capacity at Jacksonville State for the last three seasons under head coach Rich Rodriguez. He also served as interim head coach for the 2024 Cure Bowl after Rodriguez took the head coaching position at West Virginia.
In 2024, Jacksonville State ranked No. 12 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 36.0 points per game. That offense was powered by a rushing attack that produced an FBS-best 51 touchdowns while rolling up 251.2 yards per game on the ground, which was No. 3 in FBS. In all, Jacksonville State racked up 441.6 yards per game to rank in the top-20 in FBS in total offense under Smith's guidance.
In 2023, Jacksonville State ranked as the nation's fastest offense, snapping the ball every 20.6 seconds. The Gamecocks boasted of the No. 3 rushing offense in FBS, rushing for 236.7 yards per game and averaged 30.2 points per game during a 9-4 campaign capped by the program's first bowl win.
Smith has more than 25 years of collegiate coaching experience with 20 years at the FBS level with many years having been under Rodriguez, whom he played for as an All-American at Glenville State from 1993-96.
During Smith's coaching career, he helped develop two of the premier quarterbacks in college football: Michigan's Denard Robinson, who won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award in 2010, and West Virginia's Pat White, who won Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2007.
Smith is a native of Franklin, W.Va. and also has a Master's Degree from Urbana University (2000).
The Rod Smith Timeline
2022-24 Jacksonville State (Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks, also, interim HC)
2021 Virginia (Offensive Analyst)
2018-20 Illinois (OC & QBs, also served as interim HC)
2012-17 Arizona (co-OC & QBs)
2011 Indiana (co-OC & QBs)
2008-10 Michigan (QBs)
2007 West Virginia (Quarterbacks)
2001-06 South Florida (05-06, OC/QBs; 01-04, Pass Game Coordinator/QBs)
2001 Clemson (Graduate Assistant)
2001 West Virginia (Graduate Assistant)
2000 W.Va. Tech (OC)
1998-99 Urbana (OC)
Shannon Morrison
Morrison re-joins Marshall as the Defensive Coordinator after recently serving as the Herd's Linebackers Coach from 2021-23.
During his previous three years on the Herd staff, the team went to bowl games in each season and he coached the likes of Eli Neal, who is now playing in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, and Abraham Beauplan, who also played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.
This will be Morrison's fourth stint with the Herd. In addition to being on staff from 2021-23, he also was here from 2005-08 as a linebackers and safeties coach while also serving as a graduate assistant following his playing days in 1995 and 1997.
Morrison has been in the Defensive Coordinator role three previous times in his coaching career at Bowling Green (Co-DC, 2009), Lehigh (2004) and Southeast Missouri (2001-03).
During his playing days, Morrison helped Marshall to its first-ever FCS National Championship in 1992 while also advancing to two other FCS National Championship Games in 1991 and 1993.
Morrison was a team captain for the Herd, an All-Southern Conference First Team selection and an FCS All-America Honorable Mention selection as a senior.
Morrison earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Marshall and he and wife Michelle have one daughter – Miya.
The Shannon Morrison Timeline
2021-23 Marshall (Linebackers, Assistant HC)
2016-20 Eastern Kentucky (2016-17, 2020 – Defensive Backs; 2018-19 – Linebackers)
2013-15 Ball State (Secondary)
2012 Cincinnati (Cornerbacks)
2010-11 Memphis (2010, Cornerbacks; 2011, Linebackers)
2009 Bowling Green (Co-Defensive Coordinator)
2005-08 Marshall (2005-06, Linebackers; 2007-08, Safeties)
2004 Lehigh (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
2000-03 Southeast Missouri (2000, Secondary; 2001-03, DC/Linebackers)
Jackson White
White returns to Huntington for his fifth year in coaching after spending the last four years at N.C. State as a Special Teams Quality Control Analyst where he worked closely with Marshall head coach Tony Gibson.
While at N.C. State, White helped coach All-American and Lou Groza Award winner Christopher Dunn. White also coached Joe Shimko, who won the 2023 Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation's best longsnapper. Shimko snapped for every punt and kick for 61 games with zero bad snaps.
White's coaching journey brings him back to Huntington where he served as a reserve quarterback for four years for the Herd (2016-19) while also serving as a holder and operations specialist for the Marshall special teams unit, along with placekicker Justin Rohrwasser, who won Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year, and all-conference longsnapper Matthew Beardall.
Prior to N.C. State, White also coached defensive backs at South Carolina under head coach Will Muschamp.
White earned his B.S. from Marshall in Business Administration in 2019.
The Jackson White Timeline
2021-24 N.C. State (Special Teams Quality Control)
2020 South Carolina (Defensive Backs)
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