Editor’s Note: This list consists of Linebackers that played only during the FBS Era, which is 1997 – Present! All-time greats like William King, Shannon King, Donahue Stephenson, Bill Yanossy, and others that played before 1997 are not eligible to be ranked because they did not play in this timeframe that Trace Johnson is using for the rankings. This is part of a series where Trace Johnson is ranking all positions from 1997 through now. Here are links to the Quarterbacks , Running Backs, Wide Receiver, and Defensive Linemen lists.
It’s safe to assume that Marshall will field a high caliber linebacker year in and year out regardless of any other circumstances. The proof is in the pudding over the years with countless outstanding linebackers that have been among the best in the country. In fact, nearly half of the list you’re about to read were conference defensive player of the year winners. The FBS era has been stacked with talented linebackers, so with that being said, here’s the top 10 Marshall linebackers of the FBS era based on a mixture of career numbers, personal accolades, impact on the program, longevity, and sustained success.
#10 – Omari Cobb
He was a sight to behold as a 6’4” linebacker and Omari Cobb was a consistent playmaker for the Marshall defense for four years. There were some ups and downs for the program from 2016-2019, but that didn’t stop Cobb from making a difference for the Herd. As a freshman in 2016, he finished with 36 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks.
He got better in 2017 with 37 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Cobb continued his upwards trend in 2018 by accounting for 61 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and one interception return for a touchdown. He closed out his career with his best season as a member of the Herd, finishing with 114 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble to earn a second-team all-conference honor.
Cobb’s stellar career ended with 248 total tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, one interception return for a touchdown, and two forced fumbles. His 37 career tackles for loss are good for 14th in Marshall history. Cobb was a model of consistency for the Herd and always managed to stand out despite being surrounded by a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
#9 – Eli Neal
Marshall got the privilege of having Eli Neal suit up at linebacker for five years and he made the most out of his time in Huntington. Neal was there during the final three seasons of the C-USA era and the first two seasons of the Sun Belt era for Marshall and was a true anchor of the Herd’s defense the whole way through. As a freshman in 2019, he racked up 12 total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. However, he took a big step in 2020 as a sophomore that set him on an all-conference-caliber trajectory.
Neal finished his sophomore season with 75 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor. His 2021 season would be even better, finishing with 96 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor again. Neal picked right up in 2022 as the Herd moved to the Sun Belt, accounting for 98 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one interception to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor for the third straight season.
He went out with a bang in 2023 and finished with 93 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries to earn third-team all-conference honors. All in all, Neal finished his career with 374 total tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, five interceptions, nine passes defended, and five fumble recoveries. His 374 career tackles are good for 13th in program history and his five fumble recoveries are good for tied for sixth in program history. Neal was a major impact player for Marshall and his level of production was nothing short of outstanding.
#8 – Chase Hancock
From in-state walk-on to all-conference stud is the story of Chase Hancock. The Beckley, West Virginia native didn’t even receive a scholarship initially during his time in Huntington, but Hancock proved that he was more than capable of exceeding expectations and he more than did so over his four years with Marshall. As a freshman in 2015, he accounted for 18 total tackles playing primarily on special teams.
However, Hancock’s role continued to grow from there and in 2016, he finished with 69 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. His final two years with the program were nothing short of spectacular, starting in 2017 with 128 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries to earn second-team all-conference honors. Hancock closed out his Marshall career in style in 2018 with 105 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor.
Hancock finished his stellar four-year career with 320 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 passes defended, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He is number 18 in program history in total tackles. It goes to show that hard work can pay off and there’s no denying how far Hancock’s hard work got him as he will be remembered as a true great in Marshall history.
#7 – Evan McKelvey
One of the best stories in recent memory for Marshall football was Evan McKelvey and his impact on the Herd. Despite battling through injuries, even season-ending injuries, McKelvey persevered and became the best defensive player in C-USA by his senior season. He had limited stats in 2011 and 2012, combining for 17 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss while suffering a season-ending injury early in 2012, but he sprung out into a star in 2013.
McKelvey finished that season with 97 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor. McKelvey’s 2014 season started out tremendously and looked as if he was headed for a first or second-team all-conference type of season, but he suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 that ended his year. Even still, he accounted for 21 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. However, he was granted a medical redshirt for 2015 and boy, did he make the most of it.
McKelvey won the 2015 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year award with a spectacular season that included 121 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, one interception, 10 passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble to also earn first-team all-conference honors. He had a great career in Huntington that saw 256 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, three interceptions, 13 passes defended, one fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles. McKelvey was a true hybrid player for the Marshall defense that could do a little of everything, and he did it all very well while earning the reputation as one of the best defensive players in the country.
#6 – Tavante Beckett
The former Virginia Tech Hokie Tavante Beckett made a quick and impactful transition to Marshall that led to an abundance of success for the Herd’s defense. In only two years in Huntington, Beckett developed into one of the best defensive players in Marshall history and one of the best in the entire country. It didn’t take him long to prove how good he was when in 2019, in his first season with the Herd, he put up eye-catching numbers from the linebacker position.
Beckett finished 2019 with 122 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries to earn first-team all-conference honors. In his final season with the Herd in 2020, Beckett somehow got even greater and finished with 90 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and one fumble return for a touchdown in only 10 games thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. That dazzling season earned him C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and first-team all-conference for the second straight season.
In two years, Beckett finished with 212 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, five passes defended, six fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, and one fumble return for a touchdown. His six career fumble recoveries are tied for third all-time in program history and his four fumble recoveries in 2020 is tied for second in program history for a single season and the most for any player that only played in the FBS. Beckett was a bonafide superstar for the Herd and will always be remembered as such.
#5 – Neville Hewitt
He started out in the JUCO ranks before becoming a member of the Herd, but once Neville Hewitt arrived in Huntington, he put everybody on notice. Hewitt had two years to play for Marshall and he made the most out of every snap he got, and then some. His first year with the Herd in 2013 was stellar right out of the gates, finishing with 85 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble.
However, as good of a 2013 season as it was, Hewitt took his game to the next level in his final season in 2014. He finished with 123 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, three passes defended, and one fumble recovery to earn C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and first-team all-conference honors. From 2013-2014, Hewitt finished his Herd career with 208 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two interceptions, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
After his time at Marshall was done, Hewitt was signed as an undrafted free agent in the NFL in 2015 where he remains to this day. He’s been rock solid for years and remains there at the highest level, but what he was able to do in two years at Marshall will never go unnoticed and he made a major difference for the program.
#4 – Mario Harvey
The nickname for Mario Harvey was “Thumper,” and no better word could describe this hard-hitting, physical linebacker that showed out for the Herd from 2007-2010. Harvey was one of those players that didn’t have to take time to ease into the college football game, he had it immediately. As a freshman in 2007, he finished with 53 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble in only nine games.
Over the course of the next three seasons, Harvey put up 100-plus tackles each season, starting in 2008 by finishing with 107 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, and one fumble return for a touchdown to earn an all-conference honorable mention honor. He had an even better 2009 season, accounting for 117 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks to earn first-team all-conference honors. Harvey’s final season in Huntington in 2010 was his best in green and white.
He notched 143 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, seven passes defended, and three forced fumbles to once again earn first-team all-conference honors. Over his four years, he finished with 420 total tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, one interception, eight passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble return for a touchdown. Harvey’s 420 tackles are tied for seventh in program history (the most for any player that only played in the FBS) and his 36.5 tackles for loss are good for 15th in program history. He’s also seventh in program history in sacks.
Harvey spent several seasons in the NFL after his career in Huntington. Not many players in Marshall history put together the career that Harvey did, and he did it at the highest level for a long time.
#3 – Larry McCloud
There was no one more feared as a Marshall defensive player in the mid-1990’s than Larry McCloud. From 1994-1997, McCloud blazed a trail through Huntington as a bruising, physical specimen that could drive offensive players into the ground and put up insane numbers along the way. He played most of his Herd career in the program’s final years at the FCS level, but his final season was at the FBS level and his game only got better.
McCloud started making a name for himself early on and as a sophomore in 1995, he notched 122 total tackles to lead the team while also earning first-team all-conference honors. His 1996 season saw the Herd finish 15-0 with another FCS National Championship in its final season at the FCS level, and McCloud continued to impress with a team-leading 150 total tackles and four fumble recoveries to once again earn first-team all-conference honors. Marshall moved up to the FBS in 1997, but McCloud’s game certainly didn’t slow down despite the upgrade in competition.
He finished his senior season with a team-leading 152 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss while earning first-team all-conference honors, this time at the FBS level in the MAC. McCloud finished his dazzling career with 470 total tackles, 36 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. He is number three in program history in total tackles, 16th in tackles for loss, tied for 13th in forced fumbles, and tied for sixth in fumble recoveries. His four fumble recoveries in 1996 is good for tied for second all-time for a single season. McCloud was unparalleled as a Herd linebacker and his resume speaks for itself even to this day.
#2 – John Grace
The era of Marshall football in which John Grace played was the best in program history. From 1996-1999, the Herd had a 50-4 record and Grace was considered among the best linebackers in college football and a true force of nature on the defense. Grace was there for the Herd’s undefeated national championship team in 1996 at the FCS level, but his game took the MAC by storm when Marshall entered the FBS in 1997.
He had a stellar season in 1997 as a sophomore with 104 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and five sacks. Grace broke out even more so in 1998, finishing with a team-leading 143 tackles and 15 tackles for loss to earn second-team all-conference honors. Just as his freshman season saw Marshall go undefeated, his senior season saw more of the same with the Herd finishing 13-0. And Grace put forth arguably his best season in the green and white to go along with it.
As a senior, Grace accounted for 117 total tackles and 20 tackles for loss to earn first-team all-conference honors for the first time. All in all, Grace finished his Marshall career with 436 total tackles and 59 tackles for loss, good for fifth and fourth respectively in program history. He was a wrecking ball defensively and the leader of a unit that saw outstanding success, and you could make the argument that he is as good as any linebacker in Marshall football history.
Honorable Mentions
DJ Hunter
There weren’t many more consistent contributors on the Marshall team in the early-to-mid 2010’s than D.J. Hunter. He broke out immediately as a freshman in 2012 by finishing with 102 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble to earn a spot on the conference all-freshman team. Hunter was solid again in 2013, accounting for 50 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The Herd’s legendary 2014 season saw him post some of the best numbers of his career with 80 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Hunter had another stellar season as a senior in 2015 with 65 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and three forced fumbles to close out a career of consistency from the linebacker position.
Andre O’Neal
One of the names that are most defined with the late-90’s Marshall defense is Andre O’Neal. The Herd had a superb amount of talent defensively at this time, especially at the linebacker position, but O’Neal was able to truly stand out amongst a crowded group. His greatest contribution to the Herd came in 1999 during the program’s undefeated FBS season. O’Neal led Marshall in tackles that season with 125 total tackles along with 11 tackles for loss to earn second-team all-conference honors. You can’t mention late-90’s Marshall linebackers without mentioning O’Neal, simple as that.
Abraham Beauplan
Marshall was no stranger to successful linebackers by 2020 when another playmaker emerged from the linebacker unit in Abraham Beauplan, who finished that season with 55 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. Beauplan dominated in 2021 with 110 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble to earn first-team all-conference honors. He had another strong season in 2022 in his final year with the Herd, racking up 66 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble, putting his career forced fumbles up to five, good for tied for 13th in program history. Beauplan was a very good player for Marshall in an era filled with strong defenses.
#1 – Max Yates
From top to bottom, Max Yates is arguably the most complete linebacker to ever play for Marshall. Yates was a superstar from 1998-2001 and had a career unlike any other in program history. He found his place on the defense immediately as a freshman in 1998 with double-digit tackles in each of his first three games. Yates built upon a stellar freshman season with a second-team all-conference season in 1999 despite missing time with injury.
However, he blew everything he had done before out of the water in his final two seasons with the Herd, starting with a fantastic junior season in 2000. Yates finished that season with a team-leading 122 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss while earning first-team all-conference honors. His senior season in 2001 was one of the best single season performances for any Marshall defensive player in history, racking up 165 total tackles and 5.5 sacks to lead the team in both categories while also earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honors for the second straight season.
Yates’ career numbers jump off the page in several aspects, finishing with 401 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss, and five fumble recoveries. He is number 11 in program history in tackles (second most for any player that only played in the FBS), tied for 20th in tackles for loss, and tied for sixth in fumble recoveries. His 165 total tackles in 2001 are good for third in program history for a single season and the most in a single season for any player that played in the FBS. Yates was a true force to be reckoned with from day one and he continued to get better every season, earning the right to be called the best Herd linebacker of the FBS era.
What about the Charleston Missile William King
He is mentioned first in the Editor’s Note at the beginning of the article as not being an eligible player for this list. All of the position group lists that are ranked by Trace Johnson in this series only look at athletes that played since we moved back to what is now called FBS, which was in 1997. Even though we have a slew of amazing all-timers before that move back up to our current level, those athletes are for a different list. Thanks for reading.
We should add Matt Doweny
He played his entire career prior to 1997 and is ineligible for this list. All of Trace’s position group rankings are for the period of time since we moved back up to the division now referred to as the FBS level. That occurred in 1997.
Wow. So honored and thank you for the recognition and kind words. And I must acknowledge I had big shoes to fill coming behind Larry, high expectations in such a prestigious winning program, coaches, that believed in me, diehard fanbase, but I also had the BEST defense of lineman ever That allowed me to play freely. Too many D lineman to name but you know who you are. Thanks again and go Herd 🤘🏽💚