The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Last year, Beck directed a Utah of- fense that finished second in the nation in rushing yards per game (266.3) and wound up fourth in total offense (482.9). The Utes were fifth nationally in scoring offense, piling up 41.2 points per con- test. They posted the nation's third-best third-down conversion rate (52.6) and ran the 12th-best red zone offense in the country. Those sorts of numbers would bring more than a few denizens of The Big House to their feet. "I'm very excited, and I think this of- fense is going to suit us well," Marshall said. "Not only me, but my teammates. It will give everybody a chance to make big plays. We have ex p l os ive p l aye rs, not only at running back, but at the tight end, wide receiver and quarterback po- sitions. It's going to be exciting to see all the things we've gained and all the things we've kept in our offense. It will be great to see us develop from spring to when we get into the camp and the season. "I said it last year — we have scary weapons all over the field. I think we have more now. It's just, can we click? Can we all come together? We don't have to be perfect right now. Right now, it's all get- ting on the same page, adapting to each other, learning how each other plays. We have so many great leaders on that of- fensive side, guys that have played a lot of ball as young cats." They feature an upgraded receiving corps over last year, and that alone will make Marshall's job easier, he noted. "For me, I see [sophomore wideout] JJ [Buchanan] making a play, and I'm like, whew!" Marshall exclaimed. "I see young guys like [freshmen wideouts Jaylen] Pile and Travis [Johnson], [Salesi] Moa. Ob- viously, [sophomore receiver] Andrew Marsh is explosive, and [freshman run- ning back] Savion [Hiter]. Seeing all these guys, it's exciting to see how far they come from the spring cycle on into camp. We have a great team, great coaches, and we're going to be put in position to win every single game. "Andrew has done a great job of lead- ing that receiver room. He's the leader in that room. He's a younger guy, but he's the leader in that room. He's been taking control and showing the practice habits. You practice how you play. I've learned that since I was a little kid. That's what we're striving for. You practice hard and we'll be fine in the games, and we're go- ing to execute at a high level." Much will fall on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Bryce Under- wood, and Marshall intends to make things as easy as possible for the second- year Wolverine. They're both leaders on the offense and on the team, and both want to lead Michigan out of the gate quicker in games. "We both are captains, but me and him trust each other immensely," Mar- shall said. "I trust him. Even if I see a hole sometimes and think, you should have handed the ball off, I know that he's doing what's best. I think that's great between us, but we have to make sure everybody is on the same page and every- body is straining through the play. "The big thing is, we've got to start fast. We started a lot of games slow last year, and that falls on me and Bryce, get- ting that offense ready to go so it con- verts into games. That's what we've been stressing — we've got to start fast. What- ever time we hit the field, we've got to start fast. For me and Bryce, that's lead- ership. We have to be vocal. Sometimes you can get caught up in what you're do- ing, but we have to be vocal to get some of these younger guys ready." Marshall noted that Beck is urging him to be at his best early and often. "Coach Beck knows what I can do out on the field, but he wants to make sure that I am not com- placent, and that I show that intensity every single day out on the field in practice, that same leadership," Marshall said. "That's my goal — every single day to be the same person. Come out there with a smile on my face and get this team to the position they need to be in." A significant part of that job will in- volve getting Hiter ready to go. To a man, the Wolverines insisted the freshman tailback didn't look at all like a freshman in spring practice — physically, or in how he handled himself. Still, there's a lot to learn before the start of any Michigan football career, and Marshall insists he's ready to not only play, but play instruc- tor. Running back partner Justice Haynes did the same for Marshall a year ago. Now Marshall stands ready to pass along the valuable messages. "It's definitely a wear and tear, but I Jason Beck is relatively new to serving as an offensive coordinator, hav- ing done so at three different venues over the past three seasons. He's pretty good at it — just ask new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham brought Beck in to run his offense at Utah, after Beck guided a powerful New Mexico offense a year earlier. Utah finished as one of the best offenses in the nation, with Michigan's new OC flipping the switches. Running backs will love how those at their position have prospered under Beck. At Utah last year, Beck oversaw the second-best rushing offense in the country. Leading rusher Wayshawn Parker didn't quite hit 1,000 yards (981), but that proved in part because quarterback Devon Dampier ran for 835 himself. Another QB, Byrd Ficklin, tacked on 513 rushing yards. At New Mexico in 2024, the Lobos featured a 1,000-yard running back in Eli Sanders, with 1,063. That didn't lead the Lobos, since Dampier scampered for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns. Beck took over as offensive coordinator at Syracuse in 2023, and dealt with an injury-riddled year. He still fielded a 1,000-yard rusher in run- ning back LeQuint Allen Jr. (1,064), with QB Garrett Shrader adding 469 yards on the ground. Michigan sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood rushed for 392 yards as a rookie, but he could bump up that total in 2026. That still leaves plenty of room for junior running back Jordan Marshall, rookie back Savion Hiter and others. — John Borton Beck Beckons Big Numbers For Backs "I didn't want to leave this place. I want to make this place the best it can be for future generations and leave my mark on the history here." MARSHALL