Fall Camp Preview: Five newcomers to watch

Related: Five Players Who Need Big Fall Camps | Five Bold Predictions

With the 2018 season rapidly approaching, the excitement continues to build for Marshall fans. Of course, with every new season, you have new players coming into the program. 2018 is no different, and Doc Holliday has a very talented crop of newcomers ready to contribute. With so many returning starters on both sides of the ball, Holliday and his staff may not have to rely as much on the younger players, but there are guys that the staff and fans are excited about. Let’s take a look at five newcomers we think Herd Nation needs to pay attention to in 2018.

No player on Marshall’s roster will enter the 2018 season with as many eyes on him as Wagner transfer quarterback Alex Thomson. Thomson, who committed to Marshall back in February as a graduate transfer, chose Marshall over the likes of Tennessee and Baylor. At 6 feet – 5 inches and 235 pounds, Thomson has the stature of your prototypical NFL quarterback. The question is, can he turn all of his potential into production at the FBS level? Time will tell, but Holliday has done nothing to dial down the hype surrounding Thomson. “I saw a guy that came in and worked extremely hard. I saw a guy come in and not say a whole lot and work as hard or harder than the rest of his teammates,” Holliday said in regards to Thomson’s first off-season with the Thundering Herd. First-year offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey played an intricate part in Thomson’s recruitment and their relationship is one that will be key to Marshall’s success in 2018, which is why we think Thomson is a player to watch in 2018.

Renalds, a 2017 signee, is a guy that I’ve been waiting to see as part of the team ever since last spring when I witnessed the “futures” working out together. Although they weren’t wearing pads and were only using a “rec” ball, it was easy to see Renalds’ athleticism. He made each drill look easy and almost as if he weren’t even trying. Renalds, who projects at the slot receiver position, will have a year to learn behind senior Marcel Williams. At 6 feet – 2 inches and 185 pounds, Renalds possesses enough size to play on the outside, but is dynamic enough to stay inside. With Cramsey’s wide-open offense, Renalds should have plenty of opportunities to show off his ball skills in a number of ways. With so much experience and talent returning ahead of him, Renalds’ impact to the Thundering Herd program may not be “great” by most fans’ definition, but his progression will be something to watch in 2018.

I realize that Moody has been in the program for over a year and a half now, but he hasn’t played a down in an actual game yet so he still qualifies as a newcomer in my opinion. The former JUCO product was extremely productive in the spring of 2017, but missed the entire 2017 season due to a knee injury. At 240 (ish) pounds, Moody possesses great size and tremendous instincts around the line of scrimmage. He reminds me of a more physical version of Evan McKelvey to be honest. He’s not flashy, but tends to always make plays. Byron Thweatt has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal in the linebacker room and Moody’s return to the field only adds to those riches. Prior to his injury, I actually thought Moody would likely start at the “WILL” position in 2017. At this point in time, it’s tough to say what kind of impact Moody will have on the 2018 season, but if he’s able to return to his pre-injury self, he will immediately be in the rotation.

Hodge, a former three-star linebacker, signed with Marshall in 2017, but sat out last season as a “future.” Fast forward to a year later and Hodge has transformed his body into a hulking 260 (estimated) pounds. As a senior in North Carolina, Hodge registered 136 tackles, nine sacks, eight interceptions, seven blocked punts, and two forced fumbles on his way to the North Carolina Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year. As previously stated, Marshall’s depth at linebacker is so strong that Hodge will follow senior Juwon Young’s path and slide down to one of the defensive end spots. “Hodge and (Koby) Cumberlander are two tremendous looking prospects that have brought a lot of energy to workouts this summer. If Cumberlander and Hodge can be what we they are, we’ll be able to play Ty Tyler inside more,” Holliday said of his young defensive end duo. This quote alone should tell you something as it’s not real typical of Doc to talk players so young in their careers. Outside of Thomson, I’m most excited to see what Hodge and Cumberlander can bring to the defensive line in 2018.

I’ve already touched on Cumberlander, but he’s worthy of his own portion of the article. After failing to sign with another school on National Signing Day in 2017, Cumberlander enrolled at Marshall last June and has been operating as a “future” ever since. Cumberlander, a former three-star prospect, held offers from 21 programs before enrolling at Marshall. Standing at a solidly built 6 feet – 2 inches and 250 (estimated) pounds, Cumberlander is already one of strongest players in the program. Last month, the Herd Strength and Conditioning staff posted a video of Cumberlander squatting 585 pounds with ease. As I stated above, Holliday has very high expectations for the Cumberlander (and Hodge), otherwise he wouldn’t have referenced them in a pre-season press conference. Given the fact that he’s more familiar of the nuances of playing defensive end, I think he’ll be ahead of Hodge in terms of their progressions. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the two playing opposite of one another on the second team. Hodge possesses enough athleticism to play the “FOX” whereas Cumberlander should feel in nicely on the strong-side. 2018 and beyond should be fun to watch with these two rushing the passer.