Troy Breaks Out as Marshall and Delaware Find Their Identity

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Episode 1: Season One—Three Programs, Three Different Stories HOST 1: Welcome, college football fans, to the very first episode of our College Football 27 Dynasty Podcast—the show following three young head coaches attempting to build their programs from the ground up. We have reached the end of the first regular season, and our three coaches could not be entering the postseason in more different positions. Jack Fletcher and the Troy Trojans have produced a remarkable 10–2 season. Ron Cherry has Marshall sitting at 8–3 with one of the most dangerous offenses in the Sun Belt. And Jackson Harrison has guided Delaware to bowl eligibility at 6–6 during the program’s first season at this level. Today, we’re reviewing all three seasons, identifying each program’s biggest stars, discussing Troy’s disrespect in the national rankings, and looking at what could be waiting for these coaches during the offseason. Let’s begin with the best team of the group. Troy: The Dynasty’s First Breakout Program

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You can’t begin anywhere other than Troy. In his first season, head coach Jack Fletcher led the Trojans to a 10–2 overall record and a perfect 8–0 mark in Sun Belt play. Troy scored 256 points while allowing only 122. That is a point differential of plus-134, and the Trojans won their average game by more than 11 points. This wasn’t a team sneaking through close games. Troy controlled the conference.

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And yet, somehow, they remain outside the Top 25. Western Michigan is ranked 24th at 10–1, but a 10–2 Troy team that went undefeated in conference play is nowhere to be found. Jack Fletcher has every right to feel disrespected.

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Troy may not possess a traditional high-powered passing offense, but the identity of this team is obvious: run the football, control the clock, and let the defense take over. Quarterback Goose Crowder completed 61% of his passes for 1,881 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Those aren’t superstar numbers, but he generally provided enough through the air to complement Troy’s exceptional running game.

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That backfield was the engine. Gerald Griffin rushed 146 times for 966 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He nearly reached 1,000 yards despite sharing the workload. Jarris Lovett added 753 yards and six touchdowns while averaging an even better 6.7 yards per carry. Together, Griffin and Lovett produced 1,719 rushing yards. That is a genuine two-headed monster.

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Troy’s receiving production was distributed across the offense. Neville White led the team with 39 catches for 554 yards, but Thailan Lott became its most dangerous scoring threat. Lott caught only 20 passes, yet produced 298 yards and six touchdowns. When Troy reached the red zone or needed a big play, Lott consistently made his opportunities count.

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The defense may be the strongest part of the entire team. Defensive tackle T. Clemons recorded nine tackles for loss and six sacks. K. Curry added seven tackles for loss and five sacks, while K. Henderson contributed another five sacks. That gives those three players 16 combined sacks. The secondary wasn’t producing a huge number of interceptions, but it didn’t need to. Troy’s defensive front constantly placed opposing quarterbacks under pressure.

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The question is no longer whether Jack Fletcher can win at Troy. He has already answered that. The question is whether this is the beginning of a long-term Sun Belt powerhouse—or whether a larger program will come calling after only one season. Marshall: Talented, Explosive, but Inconsistent

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Next is Ron Cherry and the Marshall Thundering Herd. Marshall finished 8–3 overall and 6–1 in conference play. Under normal circumstances, that would likely be enough to contend for the top of the Sun Belt. The problem was that Marshall shared a conference with Troy.

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Marshall scored 281 points, the highest total among our three user-controlled programs, while allowing 195. The Thundering Herd were explosive, but they were not as consistent defensively as Troy. Quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson completed 60% of his passes for 2,726 yards and 18 touchdowns. However, he also threw 16 interceptions. That is the story of Marshall’s season: plenty of production, but too many possessions ended with the football going the other way.

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Still, the supporting cast was impressive. Chris Culliver led Marshall with 57 receptions, 777 yards, and eight touchdowns. He was the clear No. 1 target and the offense’s most dependable playmaker. Tight end Toby Payne added 558 yards and three touchdowns, while Demarcus Tamarez recorded 501 yards and four scores. That gave Ron Cherry three legitimate receiving threats.

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Marshall also featured a productive backfield. Jordan Barbie rushed for 630 yards and eight touchdowns, while Michael Boston added 482 yards and eight more scores. Boston averaged an explosive 6.6 yards per carry, giving Marshall a change-of-pace option capable of creating a huge play at any moment.

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Defensively, the pass rush was outstanding. Bryce Ward led the way with 10 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Mike Wheeler added eight tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Those two combined for 15 sacks, making Marshall extremely dangerous off the edge. The secondary also produced timely turnovers. Defensive back D. Smith led the team with two interceptions, while K. McBride and J. Pierre-Louis each recorded one.

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If Marshall protects the football, it can compete with almost anyone on its schedule. Ron Cherry doesn’t necessarily need to reinvent this roster during the offseason. He needs to reduce the mistakes that prevented a very good team from becoming a great one. Delaware: Bowl Eligibility in Year One

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Finally, we arrive at Jackson Harrison and the Delaware Blue Hens. Delaware finished 6–6 overall and 4–4 in Conference USA. That record may not immediately jump off the screen, but the context matters. Harrison is attempting to establish Delaware at the FBS level, and reaching bowl eligibility in the first season represents a respectable foundation.

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Delaware scored 264 points while allowing 249. The Blue Hens were almost perfectly balanced—six wins, six losses, and a plus-15 point differential. They were rarely dominant, but they were competitive. The biggest problem was quarterback play. Nick Minicucci threw for 2,562 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he also threw 23 interceptions while completing only 56% of his passes. He created points, but he also consistently placed Delaware’s defense in difficult situations.

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That has to be Jackson Harrison’s biggest offseason question. Can Minicucci improve his decision-making, or does Delaware need to consider a new starting quarterback? The rest of the offense showed legitimate promise. Joey Silver rushed for 673 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Vernell Ellison Jr. added 354 yards and three touchdowns on only 59 attempts. Silver provided consistency, while Ellison offered explosiveness.

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Delaware’s passing game also had several dependable targets. Tight end Elijah Sessoms led the team with 50 receptions, 657 yards, and seven touchdowns. He became Minicucci’s security blanket and Delaware’s leading red-zone option. B. Graves recorded 600 yards, S. Wilson added 592 yards and five touchdowns, and D. Lofton averaged 16 yards per reception. This offense has weapons. It simply needs to take better care of the football.

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Defensively, linebacker Gavin Moul led Delaware with 51 tackles and five tackles for loss. Safety K. Ali finished with 44 tackles and two interceptions, while defensive tackle D. Brogna supplied six tackles for loss and four sacks. The Blue Hens weren’t loaded with dominant individual pass rushers, but they had a solid collection of contributors.

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A 6–6 season doesn’t put Harrison on the same level as Fletcher yet, but it gives Delaware something important: legitimacy. The next step is turning close losses into wins and moving from the middle of Conference USA into championship contention. Dynasty Coach Rankings

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It is time for our first official dynasty coach rankings. At No. 1, it has to be Jack Fletcher. Ten wins, a perfect conference record, an elite defense, and a team that appears to be getting ignored nationally. Fletcher produced the best first season of the