Defensive End Leaves Michigan Football Program

The Michigan Wolverines are mired in a 5-4 season that is disappointing for a multitude of reasons. Now, they’re starting to see some of the consequences of a losing season like that.

Sunday, the Wolverines fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck.

On Tuesday, Chris Balas of The Wolverine reported that defensive end Nate Marshall has left the program and will likely enter the transfer portal.

His Path

Marshall’s departure is unfortunate for a multitude of reasons. He was a highly decorated recruit that Michigan worked hard to get into Ann Arbor. They flipped him from Auburn to come to Michigan on signing day.

Marshall was one of the players under a microscope this offseason and Kyle Whittingham had an eye on him after struggling in the spring.

“Nate Marshall, who had some struggles in spring, some things that I wasn’t real pleased with off the field, he’s really grown up in the last eight months,” Whittingham said. “Hopefully, he can stay on that trajectory.”

Marshall appeared to be headed toward a redemption story and even credited the coaching staff for getting him to the spot he needed to be in.

“I’d say the biggest thing that I had to scale back on was missing class,” Marshall said. “I was missing a lot of class earlier in the year, and that was just something I couldn’t do, especially with this new coaching staff, so I had to hone in on that. I’ve actually done great with that. I got academic all-Big Ten.

Did the staff have to help him or how did he find his way there? Punishment and accountability was a primary reason that Marshall turned things around.