HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall football coach Tony Gibson believes his first recruiting class consists of players striving to make the Thundering Herd winners on and off the field.

Marshall announced 62 new additions to its program ahead of Gibson’s first season Wednesday during a Wednesday news conference at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

The class features 48 players from the transfer portal and 14 high school recruits.

Positionally, the Herd added 12 defensive backs, nine defensive lineman, 10 linebackers, nine offensive linemen, two specialists, five quarterbacks, three running backs and 11 wide receivers.

“Our new guys are already working hard”, Gibson said. “They’re excited for the change and the new beginning and to do things the right way. Everything we’re doing right now leads up to the game at Georgia on August 30th.”

Nine of the 14 high school recruits were signed in December, but Gibson and his staff added five more high school seniors, including two of West Virginia’s best.

Martinsburg quarterback/defensive back Koi Fagan, the 2024 MetroNews Player of the Year and Kennedy Award recipient, signed Wednesday after leading the Bulldogs to a Class AAAA state championship as a senior.

Fagan accounted for more than 4,000 yards between rushing and passing, along with 61 touchdowns (33 passes and 28 rushing. He completed 63 percent of his passes. Fagan was also named Gatorade Player of the Year in West Virginia.

Spring Valley wide receiver/defensive back Jalyn Abercrombie also signed with his hometown school.

Abercrombie, whose father Danny played for Marshall in the 1980s, was a Class AAA first-team all-state selection. He caught 53 passes for 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns and scored touchdowns four other ways — rushing, passing, kickoff return and interception return. Abercrombie also had 22 tackles and two interceptions.

Other high school players signing with Marshall included offensive lineman Andrew Dudley from IMG Academy in Florida, defensive back Cameron Nti from Germantown, Maryland and running back Anthony Quinn Jr. from Rabun Gap High School in Georgia.

Forty-three transfer portal pickups had been previously announced, but Marshall added five more over the past week.

The newest additions include South Charleston native Trey Dunn, a former defensive back at Navy. Dunn, a former quarterback at SCHS, did not play for Navy last season.

Other late portal additions include former Cabell Midland and Parkersburg quarterback Robert Shockey and wide receiver Atley Cowan from Wheeling, who played at Linsly.

Shockey comes from North Carolina State, where Gibson was defensive coordinator for the past several seasons. Shockey did not play for the Wolfpack in 2024 and has four years of eligibility remaining.

Cowan comes from the University of Indianapolis. He also ran track at Linsly.

Another new portal addition is defensive lineman All Abbasi from Roosevelt University. Abbasi began is career at West Virginia State in 2023.

Spring practice for Marshall starts March 4.