Owen Porter, Marshall Football News: Draft Scout Player News

01/18/23 - DE Owen Porter, rSr/2024, Marshall

Owen Porter didn't realize he had to make an announcement. But Tuesday afternoon on a Zoom call with members of the media, the redshirt junior defensive lineman did just that. "I just wanted to set the record straight that I'm coming back," Porter said. "We had a great season last year with a top-10 win and a nine-win season, but, to me, it felt like we had some unfinished business in the conference. I want to win a conference championship." After returning from a family camping trip where there was no cell phone service, Porter said he returned to endless Twitter notifications clamoring for him to stay with the Herd for one more year, which he said came as a surprise. "I didn't know you had to post anything. I never said that I was leaving, so I didn't realize I needed to tell anybody I was coming back," Porter said. "Coming out of high school, there definitely wasn't that going on on Twitter. It was hard enough to get a coach to respond, and now to see that everybody wants you to come back, it's a good feeling."

2023 will be Porter's sixth and final season of college football. He wouldn't go into specifics, but said there were other options on the table - none of which compared to what he already had. Porter's 9.5 sacks led the team in 2022, but he also added 60 tackles (15 for loss), nine quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, a pair of forced fumbles, a fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown in the season opener and an interception at Notre Dame. Getting Porter back gives the Herd defense an extra boost going into 2023, with other key pieces such as Micah Abraham and Eli Neal also announcing their intentions to return in 2023. - Charleston Gazette

rSr/2024