University of Connecticut Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Co-Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Marquel Blackwell joins the Huskies in 2026 as the new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
Blackwell comes to Storrs after spending the last two seasons at South Carolina, coaching the running backs in Columbia. Blackwell coached standout Raheim Sanders to second-team All-SEC Honors, rushing for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Blackwell came to Columbia following the 2023 season at Texas A&M. Prior to his time in College Station, Blackwell spent the 2022 season at Ole Miss, helping lead one of the best rushing attacks in the country. The Rebels ranked third in the country, leading the SEC with 256.5 yards per game. Freshman Quinshon Judkins led the SEC and ranked top 10 nationally with 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Blackwell spent three seasons at Houston. In 2019, Blackwell was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before coaching the running backs in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In 2021, Blackwell saw the Cougar rushing attack improve by 847 yards. Blackwell coached freshman standout Alton McCaskill to a record-setting season, rushing for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns, culminating in winning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Blackwell coached the running backs in West Virginia in 2018. Under Blackwell, the Mountaineers had three different running backs register 100-yard rushing games (Leddie Brown, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway).
Blackwell served as the running backs coach at Toledo under Coach Jason Candle in 2016-17. Blackwell was part of a staff that led the Rockets to a 20-7 mark in two seasons and a 2017 Mid-American Conference Championship. Under Blackwell’s direction, Terry Swanson led the MAC with 1,363 rushing yards and third in the league with 14 touchdowns. In 2016, Kareem Hunt led the MAC and ranked 15th nationally with 1,475 yards, rushing for at least 100 yards eight times. Hunt finished with a program-record 4,945 yards, ranking third in MAC history before being selected in the third-round of the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Blackwell made his coaching debut at Freedom High School in New Tampa, Florida, first as the offensive coordinator in 2006 before becoming the head coach in 2007-2008. Blackwell returned to his alma mater, USF, from 2009-11 as quality control coach.
After a year at Western Kentucky in 2012, Blackwell returned to USF as director of player development in 2013. Blackwell served as the offensive coordinator at Lakewood High in 2014 before spending the 2015 season at Florida as quality control specialist working with the Gator quarterbacks.
Blackwell was USF’s starting quarterback for four years, leading the Bulls to a 30-12 record in that time. In his career with the Bulls, Blackwell passed for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns, and rushing for 1,235 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. In his senior season, he led South Florida to a 9-2 record before playing in the NFL with the New York Jets.
Blackwell and his wife, Sharvettye, have three daughters, LeQuay, Shaye, and Shyeloh.
