The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 ball-fanatic mom and two older sisters, along with his twin sister, Marsh felt as if he needed to mature quicker than he otherwise might have done. "Losing my dad at a young age really helped me become the man I am today," Marsh said. "It pushed me to grow up faster and do some things kids my age didn't have to do. It instilled principles like being a leader, a provider, being able to protect those around you. I felt like it helped me in every way. Just know- ing that I'm becoming the man of the house, with more responsibilities. I had to step up and be the protector of the family." He's also understandably close to his mom, who isn't a casual fan. She's all about the game, including serving as a referee back home — never in his games, Marsh noted with a laugh. "She's big into football," he said. "She's always been there for me — tak- ing me to games, taking me to camps, recruiting, stuff like that. She started reffing when I was younger. She's always liked it, and she's started to love it." All of that makes stepping forward as a freshman receiver in college seem not nearly as daunting. Marsh expresses no shock about how things have played out this season for him. He's not arrogant, but carries zero expectations of medi- ocrity. "I haven't surprised myself," he said. "I've just been able to prove myself. We have a lot we have to prove as a team and me as well. We have a lot of work to do." The work continued in the Dec. 31 Cit- rus Bowl showdown against Texas, and that represented a dream matchup for the Lone Star State product. He knew he'd be certain to see plenty of friends and family from back home down in Orlando. "It will be fun, especially playing Texas," he said before the bowl game. "Being a guy from Texas, it will be fun seeing a bunch of familiar faces and playing a team from back home. I haven't talked to too many people about it yet, but I've definitely been hearing whispers about it." He also saw it as a stepping stone. Marsh insists he's not dwelling on the regular-season-finale loss to Ohio State, but definitely tucking it away as motiva- tion for the future. He's also not going to immerse himself in watching College Football Playoff games and ruminating about what might have been. "I try not to get too caught up in it," he said in mid-December. "I'm focused on what we have going." Although the Wolverines lost to Texas, 41-27, Marsh finished with 163 all-pur- pose yards in the game — including 3 catches for 10 yards and a 4-yard touch- down, 4 kick returns for 143 yards and 1 punt return for 10 yards. In addition to extending his school freshman record receiving yards, Marsh closed out his debut season by leading the team with 1,087 all-purpose yards (651 receiving, 378 kick return, 45 punt return and 13 rushing), finishing just ahead of sophomore running back Jordan Marshall (1,024). Marsh repeatedly stressed that he came to Michigan for team success, and while there's a ways to go to scramble to the top, he's not at all disappointed in his Michi- gan journey thus far. "I chose Michigan for a lot of reasons," he said. "Obviously the school — it's a great educational system. A degree from here is huge, for life after ball — the con- nections you can make here, and the community itself, the environment. It re- ally felt like a special place. "We're a good football team, one of the best football teams in the country every year. It's a good platform to show what we can do." The show, in his eyes, has merely be- gun. "As an offense, we have a lot more to show," Marsh said. "As a team, we feel like we haven't scratched the surface of our potential. We're re- ally just excited to show people what we can do." Michigan struggled in the big games this season, including Ohio State. Those will stick in Marsh's mind going forward, since they're precisely the type of games he wants to excel in, and put his team over the top. "For me personally, I just really want to help us win a championship, help us get back to where we're supposed to be," he said. "The team, we really all have the same goal in mind." ❏ Michigan's Most Productive Freshman Wideouts Freshman receiver Andrew Marsh left more than a few big names in the dust. He stands alone at the top of the Michigan football list in terms of receiving yards by a true freshman. Here is a look at the best-ever Michigan football seasons by freshman receivers. 1. Andrew Marsh, 2025 — Marsh's 651 receiving yards stand as the all-time best among U-M frosh. His 45 catches are second only to the 49 that Martavious Odoms secured in 2008. Marsh upped his receiving totals slightly in the Citrus Bowl, and his 4-yard score against the Longhorns gave him 4 receiving touchdowns on the season, breaking a tie with grad transfer Donaven McCulley for tops on the team. 2. Greg McMurtry, 1986 — McMurtry proved a product of the eventual overcoming by Bo Schembechler of tendencies he avoided early on — playing freshmen and passing. The frosh wideout covered 508 yards on his 22 catches at the end of the Jim Harbaugh era, without a touchdown reception. 3. Anthony Carter, 1979 — Certainly in the conversation for greatest Michigan receiver ever, Carter became Bo's breakthrough in the passing game, coming on as a true freshman for 462 yards on 17 receptions. His 7 touchdown catches top this list. 4. Martavious Odoms, 2008 — Odoms covered 443 yards on his freshman-best 49 catches. He also did not secure a touchdown reception. 5. Mario Manningham, 2005 — Manningham recorded 433 yards worth of receptions as a freshman, hauling in 27 passes in 2005. His 5 touchdown catches as a rookie fell just a couple shy of Carter's record. — John Borton ❱ Grad transfer receiver Donaven McCulley on Marsh "It's extremely impressive. … A young guy coming in and being a freshman and being able to step up and make plays like that when we really need it, that's ex- tremely important."