Topic: ESPN.com's analysis of Marshall's spring practice

[Mako]

Spring answers: First and foremost, the Thundering Herd filled the vacancy created when Bob Pruett shocked the Marshall family with his retirement announcement. Two days before the spring game, the university hired MU alum Mark Snyder, the defensive coordinator at Ohio State. It was a wildly popular choice with the fan base. ... On an offense (and a team) with plenty of question marks, the running backs offer no such worries. Ahmad Bradshaw, who played well against Snyder's OSU defense last season, offers the breakaway speed and backup Gerwin Williams the power running. ... Tight end is another strength. Jeff Mullins is the leader; sophomore Brian Shope is a great blocker; and Matt Parkhurst has tremendous hands and speed to stretch the field for the Herd. ... The secondary is the best Huntington has seen in at least a decade. The unit is one of the first things Snyder mentioned his first day of work. He was particularly pleased with Keyes and Royal, who he claimed were as good as the guys he had at OSU. Keyes is a vicious hitter. ... Believe it or not, the team's pass-rushing (led by end Damarcus Thomas) wasn't half-bad this spring. And coaches are convinced this will be a faster defense than last season.

Fall questions: When you lose 16 starters, there are bound to be a few. Start at quarterback. Jimmy Skinner is the only one with any D-I experience, but that was only mop-up duty. Juco transfer Derek Divine is relatively unknown. Bernard Morris has a nice arm and is the most athletic, but needs to mature on and off the field. No one has an edge at this point. ... The wide receiving corps was decimated by the pre-spring ACL tear of Emanuel Spann, the team's top returner at that position. He's likely done for the year. Marcus Fitzgerald, Larry's brother, is an intriguing option, but is young and unproven – like everyone else in this group. ... The Herd lost its entire front seven, and five of those were three-year starters. What more can you say about that? With Snyder on board so late in the spring, it's safe to say just about every one of those positions is up for grabs in August. ... So is the spot opposite shutdown corner Willie Smith. It was almost assumed the position belonged to senior Chris Hawkins, who was groomed for the spot after transferring from UNC last season. Then junior Ivan Clark, known primarily for his work on special teams, proceeded to outplay Hawkins for much of the spring. This one might go down to the final week of August.