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Trace Johnson provides his ranked list of all 19 Marshall quarterbacks that made at least one start since 1997, the year The Herd re-entered what is now called the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Agree with his list? Disagree? Let him know in the comments!

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Marshall has been a member of the FBS (formerly 1-A) since 1997 and the Thundering Herd has seen its fair share of outstanding quarterback play since.  Names like Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Rakeem Cato, and others have left their mark on Marshall football forever.  The program has seen a total of 19 different starting quarterbacks since 1997, some starting multiple years while others started only a mere game or two.  All these quarterbacks have had their own moments while starting for the Herd, but how do they stack up against their fellow Herd starting quarterbacks?  Here are all 19 of Marshall’s starting quarterbacks since 1997 ranked.   

#19 – Garet Morrell

If ever there was a Marshall starting quarterback that simply got a raw deal and an insurmountable set of odds, it was Garet Morrell.  He had a multiple year run with the program that saw him develop into a tight end for Marshall, but as a freshman in 2016, he started two games for the injured Chase Litton.  The two games he started were against then-#3 ranked Louisville and would-be Conference USA Champion Western Kentucky.  As expected, the Herd struggled in those games, losing 59-28 and 60-6 respectively en route to a 3-9 final record.  Morell combined to go 28 of 56 for 202 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.  He was tasked with being thrown into the fire against the two best teams on the Herd’s schedule in 2016, so he was, unfortunately, set up to not succeed. 

#18 – Cole Pennington

The name Pennington is sacred around Huntington, West Virginia.  A man named Chad rewrote the Marshall record books in the mid-to-late 1990’s and led the program to unprecedented levels of success.  And wouldn’t you know it, some 25 years later, Chad’s son would get his shot.  Cole Pennington started three games for Marshall in 2023 as a freshman and had his ups and downs.  In his first career start against Georgia Southern, Pennington led the Herd to a 38-33 victory.  Unfortunately, things got rougher in his next two starts, losing 28-0 to South Alabama on the road and then 35-17 to UTSA in the Frisco Bowl.  In those three games, he completed 52 of 89 passes for 618 yards and 4 interceptions.  Only time will tell how Cole will turn out, but he did show flashes of success in his first three career starts under not the greatest of circumstances.

#17 – Michael Birdsong

Rakeem Cato had a four-year run with Marshall football that still holds up as the statistically best in program history from 2011-2014.  He had tremendous success and led the program to heights it hadn’t been at in 15 years.  The 2015 season saw a new signal caller in charge of the Herd’s offense with transfer quarterback Michael Birdsong.  Birdsong had a big test at hand in his first start for the Herd when the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten came to town for the first time ever.  And in one of the most exciting games in Marshall history, Birdsong helped lead the Herd to a thrilling 41-31 win over Purdue in front of the fourth largest crowd in Joan C. Edwards Stadium history.  Week 2, however, saw much different results with Birdsong banged up and ineffective as the offense struggled to find a rhythm in a 21-10 loss at Ohio.  That would be the final game Birdsong started for the Herd, completing 39 of 69 passes for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.  It didn’t last long, but Birdsong will always go down as the quarterback that led Marshall to one of the most beloved wins in program history. 

#16 – Mark Cann

The mid-2000’s saw the Herd come across some hard times on the gridiron that it hadn’t seen in more than two decades.  From 2005-2008, Marshall had four straight losing seasons and struggled to find an identity.  The 2008 season saw a freshman take the reigns as starting quarterback when Mark Cann got the job.  Cann got the Herd off to a hot start, going 3-1 out of the gates.  However, the remainder of the season was a letdown and Marshall stumbled to the finish line, going 1-7 to end the year at 4-8 with three conference losses by three points or fewer.  Cann had mixed success in his 11 starts in 2008, completing 154 of 307 passes for 1,767 yards and 14 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.  The 2008 season could, and probably should, have been better than it turned out for Marshall, but Cann certainly gave it his all and found some flashes of real success along the way.

#15 – Alex Thomson

The 2018 season for the Herd saw a freshman quarterback get his shot when Isaiah Green started the season at QB1.  However, behind Green was a talented transfer quarterback in Alex Thomson, who would get his chance after Green got injured in the fourth game of the season.  Thomson started four games for the Herd in which the team split the four games.  He completed 53 out of 100 passes for 506 yards and 5 touchdowns to 3 interceptions while also accounting for a net of 50 yards rushing and 1 touchdown on the ground.  Green found his way back into the starting role to close out the 2018 season and Thomson wouldn’t make another start at quarterback for Marshall again.  However, he helped the team overcome the loss of its quarterback admirably and kept the Herd afloat. 

#14 – AJ Graham

Before Rakeem Cato really took off as the quarterback of the future of Marshall football in the early-2010’s, another rising star at quarterback emerged.  A.J. Graham was a highly touted quarterback out of high school and many Herd fans believed he was the quarterback of the future.  He got his shot in 2011 and started four games for Marshall before an injury sidelined him and allowed Cato to take the starting job back for good.  The Herd finished 2-2 in those four games Graham started and he completed 62 of 95 passes for 671 yards and 7 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.  He also added a viable rushing threat to the offense, adding 231 yards on the ground with 3 touchdowns.  Graham was one of the most talented quarterbacks Marshall had seen in a long time, but we only got to see it for a brief period.

#13 – Henry Colombi

After losing two-year starting quarterback Grant Wells to the transfer portal, Marshall was searching for its next quarterback in 2022.  The Herd found it in transfer Henry Colombi, who already had previous stints with Utah State and Texas Tech.  He brought experience and big-game toughness to Marshall and that would be put to great use in Week 2 when the Herd traveled to South Bend, IN to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Colombi played well and helped lead Marshall to arguably the biggest win in school history, defeating then-#8 Notre Dame 26-21.  Things got a little rockier and more unpredictable for Colombi and the Herd from there, however.  He completed 93 of 127 passes for 943 yards and 6 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in his six starts in which the team won three of the games before an injury sidelined him.  It was an up and down run, but Colombi will always be remembered as the Marshall quarterback that beat Notre Dame.

#12 – Graham Gochnauer

Off the heels of the Byron Leftwich era of Marshall football, the Herd thought it had its next all-time great quarterback in Stan Hill.  Hill became the starter in 2003 and got off to a great start, but during the Herd’s near upset win at Tennessee, he got injured.  Enter Graham Gochneaur, who made his first career start the following week in a home loss to Toledo.  It was the following week, however, that gave Gochneaur a moment that will live on in Marshall history forever.  He helped lead the Herd to a 27-20 upset win at then-#6 Kansas State.  Gochneaur and Hill would split time as the starter throughout the rest of the Herd’s 8-4 season in 2003.  All in all, Gochneaur completed 121 of 183 passes for 1,163 yards and 7 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and added 264 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.  He gave Marshall life when Hill was unable to go and gave the program a monumental win against the 6^th ranked team in the nation.

#11 – Jimmy Skinner

 He was never the flashiest guy on the field, but Jimmy Skinner was a reliable component of a football program that was struggling at the time.  Skinner was part of the Herd from 2002-2006 and saw the program’s peak while also the program’s turbulent times.  Skinner finally got his chance as starting quarterback in 2005 where the Herd finished 4-7 in its debut season in Conference USA, splitting time with fellow quarterback Bernard Morris.  He also split time with Morris as starting quarterback in 2006, a 5-7 season for Marshall.  In two seasons as a part-time starter for the Herd, Skinner completed 176 of 288 passes for 2,013 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.  Marshall was in a transition period during his time with the program, but Skinner made the most out of a less than ideal situation.

#10 – Brian Anderson

Things were starting to change for the Herd when Brian Anderson took over as the starting quarterback.  Anderson’s first career start came in the regular season finale in 2008 and he performed well in a near upset win over Conference USA West Division Champion Tulsa.  It was clear he was QB1 heading into the 2009 season.  Anderson started every game in 2009 and helped lead Marshall to its first bowl game appearance in five years and first bowl win in seven years with a Little Caesar’s Bowl win over Ohio.  As Doc Holliday came in as head coach for the 2010 season, Anderson remained the starter and started all 12 games of that season.  Over the course of his Marshall starting quarterback career, he completed 463 of 801 passes for 5,181 yards and 37 touchdowns with 28 interceptions.  Anderson was tough as nails and started more games than most of all starting quarterbacks in the FBS era for Marshall. 

#9 – Cam Fancher

There hasn’t been a more polarizing player for Marshall football in recent memory than Cam Fancher.  His two years as the primary starting quarterback for the Herd saw its highs and lows, but fans certainly have their opinions of him.  Fancher took over as the starter mid-year in 2022 and in his first career start, he helped lead the Herd to a road win at James Madison.  He started the remainder of the 2022 season and went 6-1 as the starter, helping lead Marshall to a Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over UConn and a 9-4 season.  The 2023 season saw Fancher help lead Marshall to a 4-0 start to the season including a win over Virginia Tech, but times would get tough.  The team began struggling and he got injured in early-November and wouldn’t start again until the regular season finale.  Following the conclusion of the regular season, Fancher entered the transfer portal where he will now be a member of the Florida Atlantic Owls.  In his two years as the starter, he completed 310 of 508 passes for 3,530 yards with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while adding 607 yards on the ground and 5 touchdowns.  Fancher ended his polarizing Herd career as one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks the program has seen in a while.   

#8 – Bernard Morris

Fans were really excited about the future of Marshall’s offense with Bernard Morris leading the charge at quarterback.  He came out of the gates well against William & Mary in the 2005 season opener off the bench.  Morris played well the following week at home against Kansas State in his first career start, but got injured just before halftime and wouldn’t be the same throughout the remainder of that season.  He split time with Jimmy Skinner throughout the 2005 and 2006 seasons, but he was the undeniable number one quarterback in 2007.  Despite the team’s struggles in 2007 going 3-9, Morris had his best season with the program and started all 12 games.  During his three years as the primary starting quarterback, Morris completed 483 of 802 passes for 5,616 yards and 31 touchdowns with 28 interceptions.  But where he really stood out was on the ground, compiling 1,089 yards rushing over his career with 10 rushing touchdowns.  Those 1,089 career rushing yards are good for number one all-time for Marshall quarterbacks.  Morris was a true standout player during a rough era for the program.

#7 – Isaiah Green

Marshall was forced to replace three-year starting quarterback Chase Litton heading into the 2018 season.  The Herd decided to roll with freshman quarterback Isaiah Green and things got off to a great start.  Marshall began the season at 3-1, but towards the end of game number four, Green went down with an injury and wouldn’t play again until early-November.  The Herd finished 2018 strongly and behind Green’s Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year campaign, Marshall finished 9-4 with a Gasparilla Bowl win over South Florida.  The 2019 season saw Green start all 13 games for the Herd, but that was the last time he’d be with the program before transferring after the season.  Green completed 376 of 666 pass attempts for 4,897 yards with 30 touchdowns to 21 interceptions while also adding 416 career rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns.  Green helped lead Marshall to a 17-9 record in his two years as the starter with a bowl win and made quite a splash for the Herd. 

#6 – Grant Wells

The 2020 season was a historic season for Marshall for 70% of it.  The Herd was undefeated, had a top 25 win on its resume, and was ranked as high as 15^th in the AP Poll and 21^st in the College Football Playoff rankings, and that success was partly on the shoulders of freshman quarterback Grant Wells.  The Charleston, West Virginia native started all 10 games of the COVID 19-riddled 2020 season and had tremendous success through the first seven games as Marshall sat at 7-0.  However, the team faceplanted to the finish line and lost its last three games, including the Conference USA Championship game at home against UAB and the Camellia Bowl against Buffalo.  Despite obvious struggles to close out the season, Wells was named a first-team all-conference quarterback, Marshall’s first all-conference first team quarterback since 2014.  He started every game for the Herd in 2021 and put up big numbers along the way.  Wells completed 460 of 714 passes for 5,626 yards and 34 touchdowns to 22 interceptions during his two years as the starter while also adding 231 yards rushing and 9 rushing touchdowns.  Wells transferred to Virginia Tech prior to the 2022 season, but he had a solid run at Marshall and left his mark on the program. 

#5 – Stan Hill

Filling in for a legend like Byron Leftwich in a must-win game in mid-November wasn’t an enviable task, but that’s how Stan Hill made his first impression on the Marshall football program.  After Leftwich was injured the previous week, Hill made his first career start on national TV at home against Miami (OH) in essentially a win or go home game in terms of the MAC East.  Hill performed tremendously and led Marshall to the win that night.  He was the clear starter heading into the 2003 season, but in the second game of the season at Tennessee, Hill was injured.  He did come back and start several more games throughout the 2003 season, but he wasn’t the same player after the injury.  Hill started every game in 2004 while leading Marshall to a Fort Worth Bowl appearance.  In his time as the primary starter, Hill completed 391 of 627 passes for 4,446 yards and 37 touchdowns to 23 interceptions.  Had Hill not been hurt against Tennessee in 2003, who knows how good he could have been.  Even still, he more than made his mark on Marshall football forever.

#4 – Chase Litton

Marshall was in the midst of a major football resurgence when Chase Litton took over as the starting quarterback.  After several years of mediocrity, the Herd was rolling, having gone 23-5 the previous two seasons in 2013 and 2014.  Michael Birdsong was seemingly the heir apparent to Rakeem Cato heading into the 2015 season, but Litton quickly found himself as the starter by the third game of that season.  He had a big freshman season, helping lead the Herd to its third straight 10-win season and a St. Petersburg Bowl win over UConn.  The 2016 season saw Marshall fall back down to earth, finishing 3-9.  However, Litton still had a statistically solid season in the 10 games he started.  The 2017 season saw Marshall bounce back, finishing 8-5 with a New Mexico Bowl win over Colorado State.  Litton started every game and put up strong numbers that season as well, which turned out to be his last with the Herd.  All in all, Litton completed 728 of 1,198 passes for 8,335 yards and 72 touchdowns to 31 interceptions.  He is fifth all-time in Marshall history in passing yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.  The stats speak for themselves and despite some shortcomings along the way, Litton had a lot of success during his time in Huntington.

#3 – Rakeem Cato

Finding a generational talent at quarterback that rewrites college football record books is tough, but Marshall has three since 1997.  The third was Rakeem Cato, who starred for Marshall from 2011-2014.  Cato had an unbelievable road to Marshall and subsequent ascension while at Marshall.  As a freshman in 2011, he had some growing pains that included being benched for four games.  However, he fought through the adversity and managed to carve out an impressive freshman season, leading the Herd to a 7-6 record and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl victory over Florida International.  The 2012 season saw Marshall miss out on a bowl game with a 5-7 record, but Cato put up monster numbers that led the nation in many categories.  From that point on, Cato and the Herd rolled.  Marshall finished the 2013 season at 10-4 overall with a Conference USA East Division Championship and a Military Bowl victory over Maryland.  The 2014 season was even more special, finishing 13-1 with a Conference USA Championship, Boca Raton Bowl win over Northern Illinois, and a final national ranking of #23 in the AP Poll.  Cato won C-USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 while also winning C-USA MVP in 2012.  His record-setting numbers include completing 1,153 of 1,838 passes for 14,079 yards and 131 touchdowns to 44 interceptions while also adding 839 yards rushing and 15 rushing touchdowns.  Cato’s 46 straight games with a touchdown pass are still the FBS record.  He is number one in Marshall history in passing yards and passing touchdowns.  Simply put, Cato was a superstar that will never be forgotten.   

#2 – Byron Leftwich

If ever there was a real-life college football superhero, it was Byron Leftwich.  Following the likes of Chad Pennington at Marshall would be nearly impossible for most, but not Leftwich.  He got his shot in 2000 and he immediately showed that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.  There were some ups and downs for both Leftwich and the Herd in 2000, but they ultimately made it count in the end by finishing 8-5 overall with a MAC Championship and Motor City Bowl win over Cincinnati.  The 2001 season saw Leftwich take the nation by storm, putting up insane numbers along the way while leading the Herd to an 11-2 record that included a MAC East Division Championship and GMAC Bowl win over East Carolina.  Heading into the 2002 season, Leftwich was viewed as a Heisman Trophy candidate.  He lived up to that billing, and then some.  However, his most memorable moment of the 2002 season came during the Akron game in which he was injured, but refused to call it quits and was famously carried down the field by his linemen.  Leftwich came back from that injury and led Marshall to a MAC Championship, GMAC Bowl victory over Louisville, and final national ranking of #24 in the AP Poll while finishing 11-2 overall.  He also finished 6^th in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2002.  Leftwich finished his sensational career completing 925 of 1,418 passes for 11,758 yards and 89 touchdowns to 26 interceptions.  Players of this caliber don’t come around every day and Marshall can always lay claim to having one of the best to ever do it at the college level.   

#1 – Chad Pennington

There has never been a more important player in Marshall football history than Chad Pennington.  He helped take Marshall to new heights in the late-1990’s and is still as important to the program now as ever before.  Pennington helped lead Marshall to the FCS (formerly I-AA) National Championship game in 1995, but for this article’s purposes, he really made his name from 1997-1999 in the Herd’s first three years at the FBS level.  In his first season as the starter at the FBS level, Pennington helped guide Marshall to a 10-3 season that included a MAC Championship and Motor City Bowl appearance and had a guy named Moss to throw the ball to.  The 1998 season was even better, leading Marshall to a 12-1 record, another MAC Championship, and the program’s first-ever bowl win in the Motor City Bowl over Louisville.  Pennington’s legend grew in 1999 when he led Marshall to a 13-0 season that included a third-straight MAC Championship, a second straight Motor City Bowl win, this time over #25 BYU, and a final national ranking of #10 in the AP Poll for the Herd.  Including his 1995 season at the FCS level, Pennington completed 1,060 of 1,619 passes for 13,143 yards and 115 touchdowns to 45 interceptions.  He also got an invite to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1999, finishing fifth in the voting.  Nobody has ever done it better for Herd football and the name Pennington will live on in Marshall sports history until the end of time.