The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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PLAYER BIOS ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ MARCH 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Nate Marshall made Michigan fans feel something. When the Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick prod- uct pledged to U-M in April 2024, they were elated. When he flipped to Auburn over the summer, they were crushed. But he rejoined the fold before December's signing day, much to their pleasure. Marshall is staying in the Midwest, bound for Ann Arbor, which was his orig- inal choice due largely to his connection with defensive line coach Lou Esposito. He was part of a late charge that saw U-M land a number of highly ranked prospects in the final stages of the 2025 cycle. The Wolverines finished with a top- 10 class because of those late additions, and this haul could be one of the building blocks for the future under head coach Sherrone Moore. "This recruiting game, it's constant," Moore said of flipping Marshall from Au- burn. "You're never losing contact with these kids, so I thought Lou did an out- standing job. He's always in contact with them, always coming back to them, even when guys are committed [elsewhere]. The relationship stuck, and we were able to get him back." Michigan continued to pursue Marshall because of his unique, high-level athletic traits as a versatile defensive lineman who will start out on the edge. On3 is very high on the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder's skill set, ranking him the No. 39 overall player and sixth-best edge rusher in the 2025 class. Director of scouting Charles Power loves his "first step quickness" and "jump off the ball" — both of which "give offensive linemen issues." "There are just very encouraging signs with his hand usage, very active hands, and he uses his budding technique to dis- engage from offensive linemen," Power said. "You can see that on-field ath- leticism show up with his ability to track down ball carriers from behind. ... As he continues to get bigger, he's a guy who you could slide inside on passing downs. He could create a mismatch when he's matched up against guards and centers." Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia echoed that assessment. "He's big, fast, athletic, competitive and has one of the best get-offs I've ever seen along the defensive line," Battaglia said. Marshall has showed jump-ball abil- ity as a wide receiver, and he's also a great basketball player. He'll settle in on defense at the college level, but only elite athletes can excel at such a high level at such dif- ferent positions and across sports. "He has room to continue growing physically, but I think you have to be en- couraged with what he's shown so far," Power said. Originally, Power had compared Mar- shall to former Michigan defensive line- man Kris Jenkins, who was an edge re- cruit but bulked up, moved inside to tackle and became a top-50 NFL Dra pick. Now, however, the analyst believes he has more of a future at edge, especially aer watching him up close at the Navy All-American Bowl, where Marshall was On3's fih-best performer. Marshall posted a tackle for loss and forced 2 in- completions by pressuring the quarter- back. "Wolverine fans should be excited about his addition to the Maize and Blue," Power said. ❏ Nate Marshall Brings Explosive Athleticism On The Edge Marshall earned Class 7A first-team all-state honors as a senior at Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick High. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks 2024 60 11 5.5 2023 38 16 6 HONORS • Selected to the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl. • Tabbed as Class 7A first-team All-State by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Associa- on as a senior. • Named the 2024 Chicago Catholic League Player of the Year in the White Division and was selected as the league's defensive player of the year in 2022 and 2023. • Helped his team amass an 8-3 record with one playoff win in 2024. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to the Wolverines April 22, 2024, before flipping to Auburn in August. He com- mi ed back to U-M Dec. 3, 2024. • Chose the Maize and Blue over Auburn, Ala- bama, Miami, Illinois and others. • Primarily recruited by defensive line coach Lou Esposito. DID YOU KNOW? • Played both ways in high school, seeing me at wide receiver and wildcat quarterback in addi on to defense. • Also competes in basketball for Fenwick (Ill.) High. • His mother, Khara, is a three- me All-Ameri- can in basketball and a member of the DePaul University Athle cs Hall of Fame. • Born Jan. 1, 2007. THEY SAID IT Fenwick head coach Ma Ba aglia: "He first came out as a freak athlete who loved to compete. Now, he's turned into one of the top football players. He just loves football. He has great energy." NATE MARSHALL EDGE 6-3 • 240 FENWICK HIGH OAK PARK, ILL. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 40 4 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 39 6 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 89 9 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 76 6 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 27 3 1 INDUSTRY 2025 Projection Michigan has some players returning at the top of the edge depth chart, but there's no ques on Marshall could sneak his way into the rota on. He's at a disadvantage in that he enrolls in the summer and won't go through spring ball. He will likely need to add some weight at the college level, but his athle cism may be too good to keep off the field.