Marshall University Athletics
Marshall’s Toby Payne, Jalen Slappy Earn Preseason All-Sun Belt Honors
7/21/2025 1:00:00 PM | Football
Payne named as First Team selection; Slappy tabbed as Second Team
2025 Marshall Football Tickets
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football had two players named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Teams, which were released by the Sun Belt Conference on Monday.
Redshirt junior tight end Toby Payne was named as a 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team selection while redshirt junior offensive lineman Jalen Slappy earned 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team honors.
Payne, who was named to the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team and Wuerffel Trophy Watch List last week, returns as one of the top tight ends in college football after a successful 2024 season that saw him boast one of the nation's top catch-to-touchdown ratios.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pound native of Poca, W.Va., played 13 games in 2024, starting in all 11 games in which the Herd opened offensively with a tight end in their offensive set.
Payne caught 17 passes for 168 yards with six touchdowns for the Herd while also being a key blocker for a top-20 rushing attack and for the kickoff return unit, which was among the nation's best as well.
A few of Payne's highlights from 2024 included a pair of touchdown catches at Georgia Southern and a season-long 32-yard touchdown reception against Western Michigan. Five of his six touchdown catches came in SBC action.
Slappy was named as a Preseason All-SBC Second Team selection after starting all 13 games at right guard last year and serving on an offensive unit that produced a top-20 rushing attack in FBS.
The 6-foot-4, 302-pound interior offensive lineman from Columbus, Ohio, leads a Marshall offensive line in 2025 that returns four players with starting experience.
The 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team announcements were part of a host of announcements by the league on Monday, which includes preseason superlative awards and the 2025 SBC Preseason Poll.
Marshall, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion, was selected to finish sixth out of seven teams in the SBC East Division. James Madison was chosen to win the East Division, garnering 11 first-place votes while Louisiana earned the West Division preseason nod.
The announcements precede the 2025 Sun Belt Media Days, which take place July 22-23 at Marriott New Orleans Warehouse District and the SBC Studios, located at the Superdome in New Orleans.
First-year head coach Tony Gibson will be joined by Slappy and defensive back Cam Smith as the Herd representatives for the 2025 SBC Media Days.
Marshall Football opens its 2025 season on Aug. 30 at Georgia. The team's first home game is a Sept. 6 matchup with Missouri State. To purchase tickets, click HERE.
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