Marshall Opts Out of Bowl Game Against Army

Instead of capping off their historic 2024 season with a bowl game, Marshall is ending their year and declining to play in the Independence Bowl.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network is reporting the Thundering Herd are withdrawing from their bowl game against Army due to the amount of players they have in the transfer portal.

Marshall has withdrawn from playing Army in Independence Bowl because of number of players in transfer portal, sources said. The game is Dec 28. Because most players have left campus it may be tough to find a 5-7 team to replace Marshall

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 14, 2024

Marshall’s portal situation stems from the school not renewing Charles Huff’s contract and then hiring Tony Gibson.

Gibson had been serving as North Carolina State’s defensive coordinator.

Before that, the West Virginia native had a six-year stint at WVU. He served as Dana Holgorsen’s defensive coordinator from 2014-18. Gibson also had a seven-year stay as WVU’s defensive backs coach from 2001-07.

“Finding the right person to lead the Thundering Herd Football program is one of the most important decisions we will make in Marshall Athletics,” Marshall athletic director Christian Spears said in a statement. “We recognize the significance of the moment.”

Gibson interviewed for WVU’s head coach opening following Holgorsen’s departure in 2019. The Mountaineers ended up hiring Neal Brown, who was fired after six seasons.

Gibson’s contract with Marshall is reportedly for six years, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

NC State was 44-30 over the five years Gibson was on staff.

The official announcement about Gibson came shortly after Huff was hired away by Southern Miss earlier in the day. On Saturday night, Marshall dominated Louisiana 31-3 to win the Sun Belt title, the program’s first conference title of any kind since 2014.

The win in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game awarded the Herd their 10th win of the season, marking a new best during the Huff era.