Rod McDowell

Biography

Rod McDowell is in his second season as Marshall’s running backs coach after being hired by head coach Tony Gibson in January 2025. Marshall’s running backs saw success in his first season with the Herd, featuring a balanced attack, led by Jo’Shon Barbie, who returns to the Herd backfield for the 2026 season. Barbie overcame injuries throughout the middle of the season to rush for 249 yards and five touchdowns, which was second-best on the team. He came back from injury and scored a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner, in the Herd’s 40-37 overtime win over Texas State. Barbie was part of a four-headed monster at running back for McDowell that rushed for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns while earning nearly five yards per carry. McDowell joined Gibson’s staff with the Herd after three seasons at Jacksonville State in the same capacity. In his last two seasons at Jacksonville State, the Gamecocks finished No. 3 in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 251 yards on the ground in 2024 and 236.7 on the ground in 2023. The 2024 season featured running back Tre Stewart, who rushed for 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns while averaging 117 yards per game – all of which were top-10 in FBS. Prior to his time at Jacksonville State, McDowell served in the same role at ULM during the 2021 season. He took over a running backs unit that averaged less than 80 yards per game the season before he arrived and added over 50 yards per game to that average in his first season in 2021. McDowel