The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING "They texted me, 'Take it easy, keep grinding' about the ankle. "I got on the phone with Coach Hart recently and got to talk to all of the guys. It's pretty cool to have that connection with all of the running backs." Hearing from the group confirmed to Marshall that the running back room is a family, one of the many factors that went into his verbal commitment in March. "It's incredible," Marshall said. "For them to reach out and actually care about me is really humbling. I'm really thankful that I'm in this situation and have these kind of mentors, who are soon going to the NFL and who I can look up to." When asked how Marshall will be re m e m b e re d , A rc h b i s h o p Mo e l l e r h ea d coa c h Be r t Bathiany didn't hesitate with his response. "He's the ultimate man of morals," Bathiany told The Wolverine. Bathiany was introduced in March as the ninth head coach of Moeller and inher- ited a team that had the reigning Gato- rade Player of the Year for Ohio and No. 2 overall running back in the country, per On3, in Marshall. Two traits of Marshall that were im- mediately recognizable by Bathiany were the senior's leadership and on- field IQ , which, according to the latter, are off the charts. "It's unbelievable," Bathiany said. "There's no amount of scheme that he can't handle. It's like having a second quarterback on the field. He knows where he's going to cut the football pre- snap, it's based on how the defense is aligned and how he studies them on film. "He's just wowed me from that per- spective. His toughness and effort are what I can't get over. I've never seen anyone give more effort when the ball is in their hands than when he carries it. "Michigan is getting the best player in Ohio." Marshall's leadership duties for Moeller are continuing from last season, when the Crusaders advanced to the Ohio Division I playoff semifinals. Af- ter graduating a stout 2023 class, Mar- shall has taken on the responsibilities of guiding the underclassmen. "He's focused on his leadership," Bathiany said. "We have a lot of younger guys on the team, and his mentorship toward the younger players has been really impressive. He's kept a calm de- meanor and has been our measuring stick in practice, where he gets the guys going. He's been killing it and has been phenomenal." Marshall's influence is a year-round thing for Moeller. "The players see the way he practices, how he is in the weight room, how much he studies film, and they emulate that," Bathiany said. "It spreads like wildfire. You see him in the weight room, and he puts on extra weight. He doesn't take it easy like some people. When your best players are the hardest workers, it's good." The day after the win over St. Xavier, Marshall returned to Ann Arbor for the night game against Purdue. He was one of nine commits in the 2024 recruiting class at The Big House to catch the new light show and the team's ninth win of this season. Marshall had yet to travel to campus this fall, and the new additions to the stadium made the trip memorable. "It was amazing," Marshall said. "I haven't been there since they've done the lights. I only saw the new score- board getting built. It was cool to be there and see all of the new things that I'll be playing in next year." Marshall sat front row next to some of the commits, who are not wavering de- spite the allegations and investigations surrounding sign stealing by Michigan. "It was really cool to sit there and re- lax with the guys," Marshall said. "We talked football and what we're seeing out there. We're all on the same page and talk every day. It's pretty cool to see how close this class is. We pretty much know each other in and out." Marshall's thoughts on the current events mirror what head coach Jim Har- baugh has stated. "It's all over social media," Marshall said. "Coach Harbaugh said it's all noise. We're not really focused on that. We're focused on winning a national championship this year. I'm focused on the team and keeping our recruiting class strong through this. That's im- portant." Committing to Michigan in the same month Bathiany was hired at Moeller, Marshall was the first running back in the 2024 recruiting class to pick the two- time defending Big Ten champions. The efforts of Hart and area recruiter Steve Clinkscale to establish close re- lationships with Marshall and his loved ones sealed the deal. "The coaching staff is re- ally smart because they're at Michigan," Bathiany said. "They are good recruiters, too. "Coach Harbaugh speaks for himself. He's unbeliev- able. Coach Hart deserves a lot of credit — he and Jordan are like this [fingers crossed]. Coach Clinkscale also deserves a lot of credit. He actu- ally coached my brother at Western Carolina, and he knew my name when I got the job at Moeller." Fifth-ranked Moeller defeated Ma- son 38-3 on Nov. 10 to advance to its third straight OHSAA regional final, where it will play No. 3 Lakota West on Nov. 17. Through 10 games this season, Mar- shall has rushed 187 times for 1,236 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is av- eraging 6.6 yards per carry and 123.6 yards per game. He also has added 23 receptions for 320 yards and 4 TDs, giving him a remarkable scoring aver- age of 10.8 points per game. Career-wise, Marshall has rushed for 3,261 yards and 46 touchdowns and caught 42 passes for 684 yards and an- other 8 scores. At 5-foot-10½ , 200 pounds, Mar- shall, who's ranked as the No. 36 over- all prospect nationally and No. 2 player in Ohio, per On3, is expected to enroll at Michigan next June. ❑ ❱ Cincinnati Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany, on Marshall "His toughness and effort are what I can't get over. I've never seen anyone give more effort when the ball is in their hands than when he carries it. Michigan is getting the best player in Ohio."