The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540586
NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 31 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL U-M'S FRESHMAN CLASS COMING THROUGH EARLY The football team's freshman class is headlined by a heavy hitter in quarter- back Bryce Underwood, but there have been contributions up and down the depth chart for head coach Sherrone Moore's first full haul of recruits as the team's head coach. Underwood is one of three freshman contributors to play in the first seven games of the season along with wide receiver Andrew Marsh and defensive back Jayden Sanders. Edge defender Nate Marshall played in six of the first seven contests, while defensive backs Elijah Dotson and Jordan Young played in five. Wide receiver Jamar Browder, defen- sive back Shamari Earls and defensive lineman Benny Patterson played in four games. Marsh was a breakout star for U-M in October, posting 17 catches for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns in the three games leading up to Oct. 25's showdown at Michigan State. Coming out of the bye week between the Nebraska and Wisconsin games, Marsh was named as one of the team's standout perform- ers, along with Browder and running back Jasper Parker, who had to step into No. 2 running back duties with Justice Haynes out injured against Washington on Oct. 18. "There are two guys in the receiver ro o m , A n d rew M a rs h a n d Ja m a r Browder, who really stood out, made some plays," Moore said coming out of the bye. "[Running back] Jasper Parker's another guy. Obviously, he's got Jordan [Marshall] and Justice [Haynes] in front of him, but he made some plays as well in that time." Marsh's emergence was fueled by a wide receiver room plagued by drops in the first half of the season with the team recording 16 through seven games. He supplanted sophomore wide receiver Channing Goodwin in the starting lineup, but Moore said the competition would be perpetual throughout the season. "There's always competition," Moore said. "We're going to continue the com- petition through the week and see who the starters are by the end of the week. "Everybody's leash is the same. You've got to go practice well. You've got to go make plays in the passing game. You've got to run-block. You've got to do that equally as well. We'll just see by the end of the week who the best guys are. That's Channing [Goodwin], that's Andrew Marsh, that's Donaven McCulley, that's Semaj [Morgan], Ken- drick Bell — that's all those guys. We're going to continue to see who has the best week and go from there." Linebacker Chase Taylor played in three games, while Parker and line- backer Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng saw action in two of them. Wide receiver Jacob Washington, fullback/tight end Eli Owens, defensive back Kainoa Win- ston, offensive linemen Ty Haywood, Avery Gach and Kayden Strayhorn and defensive lineman Bobby Kanka all saw the field in one contest. Five players from the 2025 class have not seen the field yet, two of whom are due to season-ending injuries prior to the start of the year — offensive line- man Andrew Babalola and running back Donovan Johnson. Healthy players to not see the field yet include edge Julius Holly, defensive lineman Travis Moten and quarterback Chase Herbstreit. — Anthony Broome SOPHOMORE COLE SULLIVAN EMERGING AS A DIFFERENCE- MAKING PLAYMAKER Michigan sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan earned praise in the spring and fall camp as a player to watch on de- fense, with head coach Sherrone Moore singing his praises as one of the team's up-and-comers on defense. He's since continued to earn more time with his play, and he came up with one of the biggest plays of the year to date when he jumped a route and picked off a pass late in the third quarter of a 24-7 win over Washington. Sullivan returned the ball to the Huskies' 13-yard line with the score tied 7-7. On Michigan's first offensive play, sophomore Jordan Marshall ran for a touchdown to give the Wolverines a lead they wouldn't relinquish. "It was an unbelievable play. He just continues to find the ball in the mo- ments that you need him," Moore said after the Wolverines improved to 5-2. Class Of 2025 Tracker* SEVEN GAMES QB Bryce Underwood WR Andrew Marsh DB Jayden Sanders SIX GAMES EDGE Nate Marshall FIVE GAMES DB Elijah Dotson DB Jordan Young FOUR GAMES WR Jamar Browder DB Shamari Earls DL Benny Patterson THREE GAMES LB Chase Taylor TWO GAMES LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng RB Jasper Parker ONE GAME WR Jacob Washington FB/TE Eli Owens DB Kainoa Winston OL Ty Haywood OL Avery Gach OL Kayden Strayhorn DL Bobby Kanka NO GAMES EDGE Julius Holly DL Travis Moten OL Andrew Babalola (injured) RB Donovan Johnson (injured) QB Chase Herbstreit * Through 7 games Freshman wide receiver Andrew Marsh was a breakout star for U-M in October, posting 17 catches for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns in the three games leading up to Oct. 25's show- down at Michigan State. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL