Jacksonville State interim coach Rod Smith directs players on the field during the second half of the Cure Bowl college football game against Ohio, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. Smith is now Marshall’s offensive coordinator.
Jacksonville State interim coach Rod Smith directs players on the field during the second half of the Cure Bowl college football game against Ohio, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. Smith is now Marshall’s offensive coordinator.
The first piece to new Marshall football coach Tony Gibson’s staff has been announced.
Former Jacksonville State offensive coordinator and interim coach Rod Smith is the next offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Thundering Herd.
Smith was a quarterback himself at Glenville State from 1993-96 under then-Pioneers coach Rich Rodriguez. He quickly became part of Rodriguez’s coaching tree alongside Gibson.
Smith joined Rodriguez at West Virginia in 2007 as the quarterbacks coach, following him to Michigan in 2008. Smith tagged along with Rodriguez once more to Arizona and finally to Jacksonville State, where Smith was the offensive coordinator.
He served as interim coach during the 2024 Cure Bowl following Rodriguez’s resignation to return to WVU.
But rather than join Rodriguez for another round, Smith is now in Huntington with his former Glenville State teammate, Gibson, who was also on the staff at WVU during Rodriguez’s first tenure.
At Jacksonville State, Smith’s offense was one of the hardest-hitting in the nation. In 14 games, the Gamecocks recorded 6,183 total yards, ranking among the top 10 in the country.
Jacksonville State was 20th nationwide in yards per game at 441.6. It also ranked second in Division I FBS, to only Army, in rushing yards with 3,517 and averaged a top-three 251.2 per contest.
The Gamecocks had two 1,000-plus-yard rushers — Tre Stewart (1,639) and quarterback Tyler Huff (1,344). The two combined for 40 touchdowns.
Jacksonville State totaled 504 points as it claimed a Conference USA championship in its first year of eligibility. Huff also threw for more than 2,500 yards and 14 touchdowns to secure conference MVP honors along with the newcomer of the year award.
JAX STATE QB COMMITS: The announcement couples well with the recent commitment to Marshall of Jacksonville State quarterback Zion Turner, announced on Monday via On3Sports. Turner was a three-star quarterback when he led his high school to three straight state titles.
Turner did not see action in 2024 but was a game-changer at UConn as a true freshman. He totaled 1,407 yards and nine passing touchdowns in 2022, leading the Huskies to their first bowl game in seven years at the time, against Marshall in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Turner had 166 yards on nine completions in that game won by the Herd.
In 2022 at UConn, Turner also had 262 yards and a touchdown on 90 carries, showcasing dual-threat abilities akin to those of Huff that could translate well to Smith’s style of offense.
Colin Parachek, Hurricane graduate JacQai Long, Winfield alumnus Chase Massey and Aiden Karsh are the only quarterbacks currently listed on Marshall’s 2025 roster. The quartet’s experience combines for one pass attempt.
