Tony Gibson Makes Bold Statement: Marshall Will 'Own This State' in Recruiting

The West Virginia-Marshall "rivalry" has been lopsided over the years on the gridiron with the Mountaineers winning all twelve games, many of which coming in blowout fashion. That history is a huge reason why very few outside of Huntington have much interest in the Friends of Coal Bowl.

That said, Marshall, in one way or another, tries to poke at the flagship university every chance they get.

This offseason, the Herd hired former West Virginia defensive coordinator (2014-18) Tony Gibson, a native of Van, West Virginia, as their new head coach. He's wasted little time taking a couple of friendly jabs at WVU, including a recent bold statement regarding the recruiting trail.

Sep 8, 2018; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers defensive coordinator Tony Gibson yells from the sideline during the second quarter against the Youngstown State Penguins at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

"Seven of the eleven full-time coaching staff members have a tie to the state of West Virginia or to Marshall University. Our first time we were allowed on the road because of the dead period change was a few weeks ago in January, and we hit all 55 counties and every school in the state that has football. Now, we got caught in a snowstorm, so some were phone calls, meeting in restaurants, whatever it may be. But we’re going to own this state. We’re not going to let the good players leave this state or go to that school up north if I have anything to do with it. I promise you that.”

“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐 𝑶𝒘𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆!”

Clip from Marshall HC Tony Gibson on importance of recruiting WV.

Watch full presser here ⬇️https://t.co/BhoebyYBWg pic.twitter.com/4sHqUEPomO
— Marshall Football (@HerdFB) February 7, 2025

Very few Division I players come out of the Mountain State on an annual basis, but the few who do will more than likely take up the opportunity to play on the biggest stage rather than in the Sun Belt. Gibson and the Herd may land more West Virginia kids, but he's going to have a difficult time beating out the Mountaineers for the top-rated recruits in the state.

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