A season removed from surpassing 900 yards in his first full year as Michigan‘s featured running back, even more is expected from Jordan Marshall in 2026. Placing even more pressure on Marshall, a former Wolverine star turned college football analyst has high hopes for the junior team captain.
If everything goes according to play in Ann Arbor, Jake Butt, named a 2016 consensus All-American and a two-time John Mackey Award winner during his time as a tight end at Michigan, believes Marshall will be in the Heisman Trophy conversation throughout the season.
Will Michigan’s Jordan Marshall Be a Heisman Candidate?
“Jordan Marshall can be in the Heisman conversation throughout the season and freshman RB Savion Hiter should be freshman All-American,” said Butt during a recent segment of the Big Ten Network’s “Big Ten Today” show. Butt obviously feels confident in Michigan’s entire ground attack, one that will be led by Marshall.
And to Butt’s credit, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility if Marshall takes his game to another level and Michigan, who enters the season ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press’ poll, could catapult himself into becoming a household name and future high draft pick in the NFL.
Marshall Exploded When Given an Opportunity in 2025
In 2025, Marshall, then a sophomore, ran for 932 yards off just 150 carries in 11 games. He averaged a staggering 6.2 yards per rushing attempt and scored 10 touchdowns. Mostly a physical traditional back, Marshall even caught nine passes for 92 yards as a receiver. Prior to earning the full-time starter job last season, Marshall appeared in just five games in 2024, totaling 120 yards for an average of 3.9 per touch. He only had eight carries for 20 yards as a freshman after entering college as 247 Sports’ No. 4 running back and No. 78 player in the 2023 recruiting class out of Mueller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Watching a Heisman campaign would be a breath of fresh air to Michigan fans, who have endured drama and disappointing season, at least by the “blue blood” program’s high standards, ever since, and even during, the Wolverines run to winning 2023 national championship.
Notable Analyst Makes Bold Statement About Michigan RB Jordan Marshall