Marshall Magazine Summer 2022

I t was the middle of March, and Coach Charles Huff was taking a well-timed break from poring over depth charts and scanning the NCAA transfer portal. He had to focus on his most important future prospect. This newcomer had measurables that any new parent could appreciate. Beau Barkley Huff was 21 ½ inches long and weighed 7.15 pounds when he was born on March 15, 2022. Huff’s wife, Jessica, and baby Beau were both healthy, and Dad couldn’t have been happier. “My wife timed it perfectly,” Huff said with a smile. “When we found out she was pregnant she asked me, ‘When’s spring ball, when’s spring break? I’ll handle the rest.’ Man, she’s a rock star!” With the family expanding, it means a busier schedule for everyone in the Huff household. Beau’s older brother B.J. juggles school and sports. Jessica runs the show at home and coaches girls’ basketball at St. Joseph Central Catholic High School. Dexterity seems to be her strong suit. “She’s been a coach and she knows how to manage,” Huff said of his wife’s ability to multitask. “She under stands the grind of it. We’re able to manage our time and pick our spots. We say all the time our normal is not everybody’s normal. We enjoy it and make the best of it.” Huff said the youngest member of the Thundering Herd will definitely come to know about the place where he was born. “It’s something that my family will always cherish — that one of our children was born in Huntington,” Huff said. “Huntington and Marshall exemplify what it means to be part of a family. This is a tight-knit community.” With Beau safe at home, Huff went back to work

Running back Rasheen Ali led the nation in touchdowns in 2021.

getting the Herd ready for spring ball. In the not-too distant future he and the Herd face road trips to Troy, Alabama; Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Statesboro, Georgia. Welcome, Marshall, to Sun Belt Conference football. “Those schools are a little bit ahead of us,” Huff ex

plained. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have an opportunity to compete and to win games. It’s just that our margin of error is smaller.” It’s Coach Huff’s second year at Marshall, and uppermost in his mind is improving on the Herd’s 7-6 record in 2021. He’s done some self reflection and big-picture analysis on last year, and he readily admits he learned a lot in his rookie year as a Division I head coach. “It’s not really that a play call on third down was the difference in a game last season,” Huff said. “It’s what didn’t we do well in the games we lost, and what did we do well in the games we won. You go back and look at the Middle Tennessee game, and it was taking care of the football. You go back and look at the ECU game, and it was being able to finish.” Huff’s coaching journey from schools like Maryland, Mississippi State, Penn State and Alabama taught him that great teams find a way

Wide receiver Corey Gammage hauled in 78 catches last seaon.

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