Marshall University Athletics
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson Named 2026 SBC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
7/13/2026 1:00:00 PM | Football
Herd places league-high 6 players on 1st team; leads SBC with 9 total nominations
2026 Marshall Football Tickets
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson was named the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the league announced on Monday.
Del Rio-Wilson's nomination was part of an announcement that saw Marshall land a league-high six players – five offensive – on the Preseason All-SBC First Team while also leading the Sun Belt with nine players selected as Preseason All-SBC honorees.
"We are happy to see Carlos recognized as the league's preseason Offensive Player of the Year and for our guys to be honored by the league's coaches and media," Marshall head coach Tony Gibson said. "When the league's coaches recognize you, it means you made an impact on them when they saw you play. Now, our guys have to put the work in to show they've earned those accolades and to get us where we want to be, which is as 2026 Sun Belt Champions."
Del Rio-Wilson comes into the season as one of only two FBS returning quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards, complete 65 percent of passes and rush for another 600 yards (Byrum Brown, Auburn).
The redshirt senior from Atlanta leads all Sun Belt returnees in both passing yards (2,043) and rushing yards per game (60.1).
His 661 rushing yards in 2025 broke a 43-year Marshall single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback and he did so while starting 10 of 12 games. He also featured a quarterback rating of 151.8.
Del Rio-Wilson was also one of only eight quarterbacks nationally named as multi-week recipients of Davey O'Brien Award 'Great 8' honors and Manning Award 'Stars of the Week' accolades, which are both considered the highest weekly accolades for quarterbacks.
The Atlanta native was one of five offensive First-Team selections for the Herd. Joining Del Rio-Wilson were tight end Toby Payne, wide receiver Adrian Norton and offensive linemen Jalen Slappy and Tariq Montgomery.
Payne, a Poca, W.Va., native, returns to the Herd for his final season after a 2025 season that saw him earn All-SBC First Team honors at season's end. He caught 37 passes for 393 yards and two touchdowns last year.
Norton returns as a dynamic playmaker on the outside with a flair for the big moment after hauling in 27 passes for 363 yards and five touchdowns last season. Norton's late-game catch to force overtime in a win over Texas State was one of several highlights on the season. His production is expected to increase in year two with the Herd.
Slappy and Montgomery each return for their fifth seasons with Marshall and come into the 2026 season having started in every game in which they played in the 2025 season (Slappy 12, Montgomery 11) while leading the Herd to a balanced offense that featured a top-25 rushing offense at 197 yards per game on the ground.
Slappy has started 25 straight games for the Herd and has 29 total starts while Montgomery has 29 career appearances with the 11 starts in 2025 to his credit.
Marshall's lone defensive selection for the first team was defensive back Daytione Smith, who is tied among returning SBC players in interceptions with three.
Smith finished the 2025 season with 50 tackles to go with his three interceptions while leading the Herd secondary.
Marshall also had three players named to the 2026 Preseason All-SBC Second Team by coaches and media: defensive end Braydin Ward, linebacker Javae Gilmore and return specialist Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw.
Ward comes into the 2026 season tied for second among all returning active players in FBS in forced fumbles with four. The Charleston, W.Va. native finished with 5.0 sacks last season and was one of the leading havoc-producers in the SBC.
Gilmore returns as Marshall's leading tackler from 2025 after a successful first season with the Herd that saw him log 63 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss.
Turner-Bradshaw is one of the more dynamic playmakers returning for the Herd after amassing 510 kickoff return yards in 2025. The Graham, Va., native had five games in which he had a 30-yard return and he also led Marshall with a 14.1-yard-per-catch average.
In addition to the 2026 Preseason All-SBC Team, the 2026 SBC Preseason Poll was also announced with Marshall being selected to finish third in the East Division. James Madison was chosen to win the East while Troy was selected to win the West Division.
Season ticket packages are currently on sale for the 2026 season, starting as low as $99 per seat. Single-game tickets for 2026 also are available this week with Big Green members able to purchase today, season-ticket holders able to purchase at 9 a.m. Tuesday and the general public able to purchase at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Those interested in buying tickets for the 2026 Marshall Football season can do so HERE.
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