Offense Notes: Jordan Marshall's star-making turn sets up potential 2025 breakout

TAMPA, Fla. – The Michigan Wolverines had a lot of players opt out of its 19-13 ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama. Some labeled it meaningless in the leadup, while the guys in the building took it as an opportunity.

And as a result, we got our first extended look at Michigan’s next potential star back in freshman Jordan Marshall. He won the game’s MVP honors after rushing 23 times for 100 yards, which potentially sets him up for a breakout season in 2025.

Michigan will be replacing its backfield duo of Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, and Marshall looks like he will be the one to grab the baton and keep things running.

“Told you!” fullback and captain Max Bredeson exclaimed after the game. “What you guys saw, I knew it was coming. He’s special. And for him to be able to go do it — because he’s been waiting, he’s been ready — is awesome.”

Head coach Sherrone Moore has spoken in the past about the comparisons to former star Blake Corum and doubled down on it during his postgame press conference. He seems to think the Michigan running game is in great hands.

“Yeah, I think he’s got a bright future,” Moore said. “Like I said, he reminds me so much of Blake. The way he approaches his business, and what he does off the field to take care of his body, and you obviously saw how he runs. He’s a physical runner, he can make people miss, he can run you over, he obviously has that burst. And all the credit in the world to Alabama and the way they play defense – physical style of defense — but I thought our guys really bowed up and played physical ball.

“But Jordan Marshall’s gonna be a special back. He’s got a lot of ability, but he works really hard, so I think that’s the piece that really makes him different.”

Marshall looks like he can be a guy who replaces the production that was lost, but he will also have to replace the leadership walking out the door. He was open about the standard moving forward and returning Michigan to national title contention.

“It’s a good season, but it’s not Michigan’s standard,” Marshall said. “We gotta get it back to the standard, which is bringing national championships back here. And like I told Bryce [Underwood] right when we walked into the locker room, I was like, ‘This isn’t happening again. We’re playing for the ‘ship. We’re playing for the whole thing — the natty. That’s what we want.’”

Wolverines didn’t care what the narratives were

Michigan was 5-5 heading into its second bye week on the weekend of Nov. 16, and that resulted in the team re-dedicating itself to its mentality and wanting to end on a high note. That task was going to be even tougher with the number of guys sitting out Tuesday, but the staff and tight ends coach/interim offensive coordinator Steve Casula preached a winning mentality.

“Coach Casula said, ‘It doesn’t matter who’s playing in the game, it doesn’t matter who opted out, who’s in — we’re gonna win this game.’ And he said that he pictured us winning this game and knew that we were gonna win this game,” Marshall said.

“It’s all about that, a manifestation of thinking like, ‘We’re gonna take this thing, and we’re gonna win this ball game.’”

Bredeson helped set the tone during the team’s famed “buy-in week” prior to the 50-6 win over Northwestern and 13-10 victory at Ohio State. Bredeson says nothing changed inside the building, but Marshall says there was a noticeable vibe change after the loss at Indiana.

“Nothing really changed inside,” Bredeson said. “It’s just what it’s built on. It’s kinda instilled in us the day you get there. It doesn’t matter what situation you’re in, you just gotta go. Some things happened along the way; we lost games, but it’s what we were built on. Whenever it’s time to put it on, go do it.”

Marshall added: “Right after that Indiana game was where the turning point was. We knew that we didn’t want our season to go out on a bad note. We had to get that win at home, and then we had the big one. And I got to go home and play at Ohio State, which was big for me just to be out there.  It’s 8-5 … we won some games, but again, it’s not the standard, and we’re gonna be better than this last year.”

At the end of the day, failure was the team’s greatest teacher.

“Everyone fought through lessons — not losses — and we’re happy with how it ended,” Bredeson said.

Miscellaneous Michigan offensive notes

• Bredeson said after the game he will decide on his potential return in the next week or so. He wanted to let the season finish before making the final call.
• Davis Warren was in a leg brace and using crutches after the game. Moore said in his postgame press conference he believes Warren is leaning toward a return, and added ‘We’ll see,’ on Alex Orji, who is in the portal but played on Tuesday.
• Michigan is now 9-0 since 2016 when throwing for 100 yards or less, and moved to 4-0 this season in that category: 2016 Indiana (59 yards), 2017 Indiana (58), 2017 Minnesota (56), 2021 Washington (44), 2023 Penn State (60), 2024 USC (32), 2024 Minnesota (86), 2024 Ohio State (62), 2024 Alabama (75).
• Both Marshall and right tackle Andrew Sprague made their first career starts on Tuesday.
• Michigan’s 16 first-quarter points were the most Alabama allowed in the opening frame this season. Only Vanderbilt scored more points (23) in the first half of a game on them.
• Sophomore WR Fredrick Moore had his first-career touchdown catch in the first quarter and finished the day with a career-high 3 grabs for 37 yards.
• Sophomore RB Ben Hall set a career-high in carries with 16 in the game, finishing with 28 yards.