After a disappointing first year for head coach Vincent Brown and the Aggies, they let go of former offensive coordinator Chris Young and hired former Texas Southern offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach David Marsh.
Marsh has coached for over 16 years, making stops at Power Five programs like UCLA and Texas A&M. He also had a coaching tenure at in-conference opponent Campbell before starting his time at Texas Southern in 2019.
This past season at TSU, Marsh and the Tigers’ offense finished the year ranked at the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in rushing and finished 16th nationally. One of the major reasons for this top-rushing attack was the 2023 Walter Payton finalist, running back LaDarius Owens. This award is given to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS.
Owens finished his 2023 campaign breaking the record books at TSU. In 2023 , he rushed for a single-season record of 1,370 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Owens was also named to the 2023 All-SWAC team. Owens led the SWAC in rushing yards, rushing yards per game (124.5) and rushing touchdowns (11)
At the helm of Marsh’s offense was quarterback Jace Wilson, who threw for 1,633 yards and ten touchdowns after he took over in week two. Wilson took home the SWAC Newcomer of the Year Award with his performance.
In 2022, TSU quarterback Andrew Body racked up the second-highest total yards in program history in a single season with 2,391 yards after he broke the record in his freshman year with 2,659.
In Body’s first year under Marsh, the offense flourished, ranking in the top five in multiple offensive categories. They finished second in the SWAC in scoring, averaging 29 points a game and amassing 429 yards a game. They finished second in rushing yards a game with 188, third in passing yards a game (241.2) and fourth in red zone offense with over 80 percent of their red zone trips ending in points.
In his first year as offensive coordinator in 2019, Marsh immediately impacted the program by finishing the season ranking fourth in total offense per game in the SWAC (416.6). The Tigers exceeded 500 yards of offense four times during that 2019 season, with a season-high 637 yards against Grambling.
Coach Brown spoke on the newest hire for the Aggies football team.
“He has demonstrated the ability to construct a highly effective game plan around the talent on the team,” Brown said. “He has a broad knowledge of offensive football, having successfully coached running backs, offensive linemen and wide receivers. He has a strong reputation for managing the offensive staff in a collaborative manner and has strong recruiting ties in North Carolina.”
The Aggies were ranked last in offensive production in the Colonial Athletic Conference last year, ranking last in total yards (2,888), passing yards (1,154), yards per game (262.5), yards per play (4.9), and tied for last in total touchdowns (17). The Aggies scored 20 or more points and surpassed 100 passing yards only four times last year.
Marsh looks to revamp this offense and utilize the many weapons on the field for the Aggies. Marsh so far has two quarterbacks to teach his new high-powered offense to, sophomore Kevin White and Houston Christian grad transfer Justin Fomby.
Fomby only played in five games last year, but in his 2022 season, he threw for 2,297 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, completing 59 percent of his passes.
