Marshall parted ways with long-time head football coach Doc Holliday on Monday, shortly after finishing his 11th season in Huntington.
Below are some initial potential names as we start the hot board for the search. All of these names have been vetted and provided by actual sources to confirm interest. Some or more likely than others and new names will surely pop up as the process goes along. We will update the hot board as the info changes.
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Brad Lambert
Background: This former Kansas State defensive back is a veteran of the college ranks, having begun his career as a graduate assistant in the late 1980s. His first full-time role was - you guessed it - at Marshall. He's spent time at Georgia and Wake Forest as an assistant, and also served as the head coach at Charlotte from 2011-2018. Lambert then returned to coach for Doc Holliday as defensive coordinator in 2019, where he's remained on staff.
The fit: There's a familiarity element with Lambert that separates him from the rest. He's had two stints at Marshall, one in the 1990s and one currently. Some players have already come out in support of his chances to land the role on a full-time basis.
Lambert obviously has head coaching experience, although his 22-48 record at Charlotte is one factor to take into consideration. That's a job that some see as a tougher gig, however, and it's worth nothing that Lambert was literally the first ever coach at that program. That's a tall order for a program that began as an FCS independent and started from the ground up.
Lambert has a unique perspective into what makes Marshall tick. He'll have some internal support for the job, has been a head coach previously, and is regarded as a very good defensive mind.
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James Coley
Background: A Miami native and former FSU player, Coley has cut his teeth at some of the nation's top high school and college programs. He began his career as an assistant at a pair of Miami high schools, then broke onto the college scene with a graduate assistant job at LSU. After spending two years with the Miami Dolphins as an offensive assistant, Coley then landed a string of assistant and offensive coordinator jobs: FIU, FSU, Miami, and Georgia. He moved to Texas A&M as tight ends coach prior to the 2020 season.
The fit: Coley is another on the list that's never been a head coach, although his name has certainly circulated at different points in his career for various lead gigs.
There are no real ties to Marshall evident here, but Coley does have a lot of experience at the college level. He would bring recruiting ties to the state of Florida and is an offensive-minded coach, should Marshall deem that an important factor in the hiring process.
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Larry Fedora
Background: Fedora is a Texas guy who has a wide range of coaching experience. Most notably, he's been the offensive coordinator at Florida and Oklahoma State, gigs that he parlayed into his first head coaching job. That came at Southern Miss, where Fedora went 34-19 and won the conference title in his final season. That performance earned him the North Carolina head job. Year 4 in Chapel Hill was particularly good for Fedora, as the Tar Heels made the ACC title game. After an 8-win season in year 5, the program began to slip. After Fedora's firing there, he spent a year as an analyst for Tom Herman at Texas, then a season as OC at Baylor under Dave Aranda; he was let go there recently.
The fit: Fedora would bring an offensive-minded approach and plenty of energy to the Marshall program. He's coached in several different states and has recruiting ties in the Southeast and in the Midwest. At both of his head coaching stops, he's found levels of success despite the North Carolina situation not ending as well.
For Marshall, this would be taking a shot on a guy to an extent even though he's a two time head coach, banking on Fedora's offensive mind and him fitting into the Marshall program as he did with Southern Miss.
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