NEW ORLEANS — Reigning Sun Belt football champion Marshall hits the road to open the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30, at Georgia. The contest will be nationally-televised on ESPN, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT.
The Bulldogs won the lone prior meeting, 13-3, in Athens, Ga., in 2004.
Marshall’s non-conference schedule also includes back-to-back home contests against Missouri State (Sept. 6) and Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 13), ahead of a road trip to Middle Tennessee (Sept. 20). In addition to annual matchups with its East Division brethren, the Thundering Herd will travel to Louisiana (Sept. 27)—in a rematch of the 2024 Sun Belt Football Championship Game—and host Texas State (Oct. 18) from the Sun Belt West Division.
The Thundering Herd was picked sixth in the Sun Belt East Division, while claiming 1-of-14 first-place votes in last month’s
2025 Sun Belt Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll.
First-year head coach Tony Gibson will guide a rebuilt roster that
returns one All-Sun Belt selection from last year’s Sun Belt championship club and
had two players listed on the 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt teams.
Marshall went 10-3 in 2024—its first 10-win season since 2015—and secured its first-ever Sun Belt football title in its third season in the conference.
To listen to head coach Tony Gibson, redshirt junior offensive lineman Jalen Slappy and redshirt senior defensive back Cam Smith’s comments from the 2025 Sun Belt Football Media Days,
visit the Sun Belt Conference YouTube page.
2025 SCHEDULE
| 8/30 |
at Georgia |
| 9/6 |
Missouri State |
| 9/13 |
Eastern Kentucky |
| 9/20 |
at Middle Tennessee |
| 9/27 |
at Louisiana* |
| 10/11 |
Old Dominion* |
| 10/18 |
Texas State* |
| 10/30 |
at Coastal Carolina* |
| 11/8 |
James Madison* |
| 11/15 |
at Georgia State* |
| 11/22 |
at App State* |
| 11/29 |
Georgia Southern* |
* Sun Belt Conference Game
2024 ALL-SUN BELT RETURNERS
Honorable Mention
TE – Toby Payne, Marshall (RS Jr., TE – Poca, W.Va.)
2025 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT SELECTIONS
First Team
TE – Toby Payne, Marshall (RS Jr., TE – Poca, W.Va.)
Second Team
OL – Jalen Slappy, Marshall (RS Jr., OL – Columbus, Ohio)