HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall head coach Doc Holliday announced his coaching staff for the 2018 football season on Wednesday.
Tim Cramsey will join the staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Cramsey comes to Huntington from Sam Houston State University where he served in the same capacity during the 2017 season.
Last season, the Bearkats led the nation (FCS) in scoring offense (43.3), passing offense (362.7), total offense (538.1) and first downs (365).
He coached quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe, who was named the Walter Payton Award winner (top offensive player in FCS), ADA Offensive Player of the year and a consensus all-American.
In all, SHSU’s offense boasted eight all-Southland Conference players, including the league’s Offensive Player of the Year (wide receiver Davion Davis).
Cramsey has been an offensive coordinator for each of the past nine seasons (also Nevada-2016, Montana State-2013-15, FIU-2012 and New Hampshire-2009-11) and has coached quarterbacks for the last 10 (also the 2008 season at UNH).
He started as the Wildcats’ tight ends/fullbacks coach in 2003 and coached three seasons before moving to running backs in 2006 and 2007.
He began his coaching career as a high school assistant for two years following a four-year career (1994-97) at New Hampshire as a quarterback/longsnapper.
Adam Fuller, Marshall’s linebackers coach since the 2013 season, has been promoted to defensive coordinator and will coach the Thundering Herd’s safeties.
Fuller has coached two C-USA Defensive Players of the Year (Neville Hewitt-2014 and Evan McKelvey-2015) and Jermaine Holmes, D.J. Hunter and Chase Hancock, who were also recognized in the league’s postseason honors.
Hewitt has gone on to play three seasons for the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins.
The Tewksbury, Massachusetts native was defensive coordinator for four seasons at Chattanooga (2009-12) after serving as Assumption College’s head coach in 2008. He also had assistant stops at Richmond (2005-07), Wagner (1999-04) and WPI (1998).
Fuller handled Marshall’s special teams coordinator duties in 2017 and led a unit the finished second nationally in Football Outsiders’ efficiency ratings.
Co-offensive coordinator Todd Goebbel, who coached Marshall’s quarterbacks last season, will move to tight ends next season, a position he coached in 2015 when Ryan Yurachek earned honorable mention all-Conference USA acclaim as a sophomore.
In 2016, he was in charge of Marshall’s wide receivers corps. Goebbel also led the Thundering Herd’s special teams units in 2015 and saw that group finish as the nation’s most efficient, according to ESPN.com.
Mike Treier, who spent the 2017 season as Marshall’s defensive analyst and recruiting coordinator (a title he will keep), will join Fuller in the secondary and coach the Thundering Herd’s cornerbacks. This is his second stint in Huntington, after serving as a graduate assistant in 2014-15, before moving on to UT-Martin, where he was the Skyhawks’ co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach in 2016.
Byron Thweatt will join the staff as its linebackers coach, a position he coached at James Madison for the past two seasons.
He was part of a staff that helped return the Dukes to defensive prominence, leading the country (FCS) in 2017 in scoring defense (11.1), interceptions (31), takeaways (44) and pass efficiency defense (83.12 rating). The Dukes also ranked third in total defense (252.0), turnover margin (+1.47) and defensive touchdowns (5), fifth in sacks (3.40), seventh in rushing defense (90.5), eighth in fumble recoveries (13) and 10th in both passing defense (161.5) and 10th on third-down defense (30.1 percent).
Thweatt coached two linebackers to all-conference honors and one to All-America accolades in 2017.
Kyre Hawkins was voted First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association and later earned Third Team All-America laurels from HERO Sports. Thweatt mentored CAA second-team pick Gage Steele in 2016.
Prior to his arrival in Harrisonburg, Thweatt was Virginia Union’s head coach in 2015 after eight seasons (2007-14) as Richmond’s inside linebackers coach and Director of High School Relations (2013-14).
He began his career as a graduate assistant at Virginia, his alma mater, where he was an honorable mention All-American for the Cavaliers at linebacker.
After college, he spent time with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans and in NFL Europe.
“I’m thrilled with the staff that we have assembled,” said Holliday. “We built momentum at the end of last season with the (New Mexico) bowl victory and these guys will help us keep that going. Our fans have a lot to be excited about.”
Marshall will announce its 2018 newcomers on National Signing Day, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7.