Toby Payne
Toby Payne
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Toby Payne has been at Marshall through two head coaches in three seasons. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Sun Belt. The receipt on tape: 110 rec yds, 5 receptions against Georgia State, Week 12, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Sun Belt
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Charles Huff → Tony Gibson. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Gibson
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Sun Belt
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 7 · 2025
W 48–24
vs Old Dominion
3 rec · 31 yds
Dominant 24-point win at home against Old Dominion.
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Marshall
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Marshall
Returning around him
- 100% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- Transfer portal: +5 net (27 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Marshall · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #89 · 2026 recruiting class #123
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jyrin Johnson’s 2025 season.
Matches Jyrin on
Differs from Jyrin on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Desirrio Riles's junior season at East Carolina (2025).
Matches Desirrio on
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2022–2025+1333%
Up 1333% from first season to most-recent.
Background
R-SOPHOMORE SEASON (2024): Played in 13 games, starting 11 at tight end for the Herd. Caught 17 passes for 168 yards and 6 TDs for the Herd while also being a key blocker for the top-20 rushing attack and a key blocker on the kickoff return unit, which ranked as one of the nation's best. Caught a...