Heading into the 2023 college football season — their second in the Sun Belt conference — the Marshall Thundering Herd are in the capable hands of head coach Charles Huff. Who else makes up the rest of the Marshall coaching staff as they look to build on a successful opening season in the conference?
Marshall Thundering Herd Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Charles Huff
Huff was named the head coach of the Marshall football program ahead of the 2021 college football campaign. While taking over the helm of the Thundering Herd gave Huff his first head coaching role at any level, he’s no stranger to successful leadership, boasting experience at the very top of the Power Five level of FBS football.
As the head of the Marshall coaching staff, Huff has quickly weaponized his experience to add several school achievements to his résumé. By beating Notre Dame in 2022, he helped lead the program to their first win over a top-10 team since 2003. Additionally, the Thundering Herd enters the 2023 season riding a five-game win streak—one of the best in the nation.
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During his college coaching career—the full details of which can be found below—Huff has developed multiple top-tier talents. These include Alabama running back Najee Harris, Penn State product Saquon Barkley, and Tennessee State standout Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He also coached in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 2012, working with running back C.J. Spiller.
- Tennessee State (offensive line coach, 2006; tight end and special teams coach, 2007-2008)
- Maryland (assistant OL coach, 2009)
- Hampton (OL coach and run game coordinator, 2010)
- Vanderbilt (offensive quality control, 2011)
- Western Michigan (running back coach, 2013)
- Penn State (RB and special teams coordinator, 2014-2017)
- Mississippi State (RB coach and run game coordinator, 2018)
- Alabama (RB coach, 2019-2020)
- Marshall (HC, 2021-2023)
Offensive Coordinator, Clint Trickett
If you watched the Netflix series Last Chance U, you’ll be familiar with the name Clint Trickett. In his first coaching role after ending his playing career, Trickett was the quarterbacks coach at East Mississippi Community College—one of the most famous and successful junior college football programs of recent times.
Success has become a standard for Trickett during his relatively young coaching career. He joined the Marshall coaching staff in 2021 as the wide receivers coach before earning a promotion to offensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 college football season. In addition to that role, he coaches the Thundering Herd’s quarterback room, led in 2023 by Cam Fancher.
Trickett arrived in Huntington after spending four years with Florida Atlantic. He joined the program on Lane Kiffin’s Owls staff in 2017 as the tight end coach, where he played a key role in Harrison Bryant being named the 2019 winner of the John Mackey Award. That success led to him being promoted to co-offensive coordinator and QB coach following Kiffin’s departure.
A hugely successful high school quarterback, he threw for over 5,300 yards and 59 touchdowns at North Florida Christian High School before spending the early part of his college career at FSU. However, it was at West Virginia where his playing career took off, leading the Big 12 in completion percentage in 2014 while becoming a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.
Defensive Coordinator, Jason Semore
A new addition to the Marshall coaching staff for the 2023 college football season, Jason Semore becomes the Thundering Herd’s defensive coordinator. He arrives in Huntington having spent the last season with Georgia Tech, the latest stop on a varied and successful coaching career that has seen him gain experience in multiple roles at several different levels of competition.
A linebacker at Adams State from 2001-2005, Semore spent 2022 working with the Georgia Tech linebackers and was slated to become their special teams coordinator with responsibilities for nickel backs and safeties. Instead, he reprises a role he previously held at Valdosta State, Montana, and the Colorado School of Mines, in addition to co-DC duties at his alma mater.
He has tasted success in each of those stints. Semore helped lead Colorado School of Mines to a 10-2 season, assisted Montana in achieving three consecutive winning seasons and top-ranked Big Sky defense, and his defense fueled a Valdosta State run to the DII title game in 2021. The new Marshall defensive coordinator’s full college coaching résumé can be found below.
- Colorado School of Mines (secondary coach, 2007)
- Adams State (co-DC, secondary coach, and special teams coordinator, 2008-2009)
- Tulsa (OLB coach, 2010-2011)
- Oklahoma State (defensive assistant, 2012-2013)
- Colorado School of Mines (DC, 2015)
- Montana (special teams coordinator and secondary coach, 2015; DC, 2016-2017)
- Temple (senior defensive analyst, 2018)
- Georgia Tech (defensive analyst, 2019-2020)
- Valdosta State (DC, 2021)
- Georgia Tech (LB coach, 2022)
- Marshall (DC, 2023)
Special Teams Coordinator, Johnathan Galante
Johnathan Galante joined the Marshall coaching staff in 2022 as the Thundering Herd’s special teams coordinator. A former outside linebacker at Virginia Tech, Galante began his coaching career with the Hokies as a special teams graduate assistant from 2017-2018. He came to Huntington after spending four years working as a special teams analyst for Alabama.
Offensive Line Coach, Bill Legg
Bill Legg has more connections to the Thundering Herd than anyone else on the Marshall coaching staff. In his third stint with the school, Legg will serve as the offensive line coach.
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Previously, he has been the TE coach (2001-2002 and 2021-2022) while serving as the Thundering Herd’s offensive coordinator from 2010-2017. He has also spent time at West Virginia, Purdue, Mississippi State, and FIU at the FBS level.
Cornerback Coach, Chevis Jackson
In addition to serving as the cornerback coach for the Thundering Herd, Chevis Jackson was promoted to co-defensive coordinator on the Marshall coaching staff ahead of the 2023 season. He arrived in Huntington from Kansas, the latest stop on a coaching career that has seen him spend time at Ball State, LSU, and with his hometown South Alabama Jaguars—his alma mater.
Wide Receiver Coach, Jovon Bouknight
A Biletnikoff Award finalist and one of the most productive pass catchers in Wyoming football history, Jovon Bouknight took his experience and skill set playing the game and turned it into a coaching career. He spent time as a grad assistant with his alma mater before coaching at Utah State, Oregon, and Texas Tech, joining the Marshall coaching staff from the Kentucky Wildcats.
Running Back Coach, Telly Lockette
A standout linebacker at Idaho State, Telly Lockette established himself as an elite offensive mind in the Miami high school arena early in his coaching career before joining the college ranks with South Florida.
He also spent time at Oregon State, FSU, and Miami (FL) before joining the Marshall coaching staff as the running back coach and run game coordinator. His son, Tellek Lockette, is an ascending offensive lineman in the Sun Belt for Louisiana-Monroe.
Linebacker Coach, Shannon Morrison
A long-time member of the Marshall coaching staff who is on his third stint with the team, Shannon Morrison serves as the LB coach while also being the assistant head coach. He was previously the LB coach in Huntington from 2006-2006, while coaching safeties from 2007-2008. A former team captain and honorable All-American, he was part of the 1992 FCS title team.
Defensive Line Coach, Ralph Street
Another standout player for the Thundering Herd, Ralph Street was a team captain and won three MAC titles between 1998 and 2001. After beginning his coaching career at Astronaut High School and USAFA prep, he spent several years at the FCS level with Alcorn State, Prairie View A&M, and Florida A&M before joining the Marshall coaching staff as the DL coach in 2021.
Tight End Coach, Derek Shay
A new addition to the Marshall coaching staff, Derek Shay will work with the program’s tight ends in the 2023 college football season. He has FBS experience from stints at Missouri, LSU, and Bowling Green, and his coaching résumé is bolstered by time at the high school level—including at Warren Central in Indianapolis. Shay also worked with the USA Football U17 team.
