Luke Zban

Luke Zban is one of the two scholarship quarterbacks that will return for Marshall in 2022. In his freshman season, he redshirted. He was a walk-on quarterback who was a star at Huntington High School. The hometown hero was regularly called the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year prior to his sophomore season in 2020. He was then awarded a scholarship, but ultimately lost the starting job to Grant Wells following the departure of Isaiah Green. 

Zban is one of the most fun stories on the Herd roster: a hometown player who walked on and developed into a scholarship athlete. His brother, Andrew Zban, played baseball for Marshall. His father Mark Zban was a dual sport athlete at Marshall, playing both football and baseball. 

Zban’s best game came against WKU this past season. He came in relief in the 2nd quarter, ultimately carrying Marshall through the eventual blowout loss. For reference, Marshall’s offense was almost constantly on the field in this game. Bailey Zappe, the quarterback for WKU and now all-time leader in NCAA passing yards and touchdowns in a single season, threw for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns in the contest. Luke Zban threw for 123 yards, a touchdown and a long of 41 yards. He was sacked 3 times.  

When it comes to being “thrown to the wolves”, Zban has experienced that sort of treatment, particularly in the matchup against WKU. In his career, he has only seen significant time in blowout wins or blowout losses.  

In terms of Zban’s individual performance, though, he threw a pair of passes for 20+ yards and had one touchdown pass that went for 41. He was also able to create some separation on the rush, gaining 17 yards and losing 13 to sacks. Zban’s 13-yard rush, his longest of the game, speaks a lot to what his toolkit possesses. While he is able, and has demonstrated the ability, to throw good passes through short and long distances, Zban’s most entertaining drives come when he is running the ball. 

Against NC Central, a matchup in which he came in later in the game, Zban ran six times for over 40 yards, good for over seven yards per carry. Zban has had more rushing attempts than passing attempts in three of his seven appearances. He has the playstyle of a high school wildcat formation in which the intended rusher is getting the direct snap. He’s had a 10-yard rush in four of his seven appearances and nine yards in another. 

As the longest tenured Herd QB on the roster, Zban brings a level of leadership and locker room presence that none of his peers will be able to possess. Zban is also a hometown quarterback with an exciting, run heavy, playstyle. He would become a quick fan favorite. 

Zban is also familiar with the fight for the starting quarterback position, dueling with Grant Wells a pair of seasons ago. It will be exciting to see Zban fight for the chance to go from walk-on to starting quarterback for the Thundering Herd. At the very least, Zban is a great success story for Marshall that proves the often-hidden talent of West Virginia prospects.