Michigan Wolverines indefinitely suspends edge rusher Nate Marshall

NurPhoto / Getty Images

Michigan Wolverines indefinitely suspends edge rusher Nate Marshall

Originally posted on Lindy's Sports | By Eman Zahra | Last updated Nov 13, 2026 10:03 AM ET

Michigan sophomore edge rusher Nate Marshall has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules and won’t play Saturday at Oregon, position coach Lewis Powell said Wednesday, according to Yahoo Sports. He could miss the rest of the regular season, which is three games.

Powell was direct about the uncertainty, saying Marshall is “suspended indefinitely and not sure if he’s going to come back or not.”

He also called Marshall a big-time talent and said the suspension is about being held accountable to team rules. The school hasn’t described the violation.

Marshall has 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks this season. He played 70 snaps across seven games and last recorded a tackle at Rutgers.

Michigan sophomore edge rusher Nate Marshall has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules and won’t play Saturday at Oregon.Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Marshall’s role had already shrunk before this

He didn’t play a snap in Saturday’s 15-6 loss to rival Michigan State, and he’s seen double-digit snaps just three times this year. His high was 14 in a Week 5 loss to Minnesota. That’s a steep drop for a player who arrived as the third-ranked pass rusher in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

First-year coach Kyle Whittingham fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck on Sunday and named offensive line coach Jim Harding the interim replacement, per Michigan’s athletic department.

Whittingham says he wants a proven coordinator for next season. The Athletic’s Ralph Russo has said he expects Whittingham himself to eventually step down, noting a buyout of roughly $24.75 million if Michigan fired him. That’s one analyst’s opinion, not a report from the program.

Michigan will have to make the Oregon trip without Marshall, while Oregon is missing its own top edge rusher, Teitum Tuioti, who is out for the year.

The bigger concern is the locker room, not the depth chart

On the field, Marshall’s absence changes little. He wasn’t playing much, and the Wolverines have other edge players to fill the gap.

What matters more is what the suspension says about a team that looks like it’s coming apart. In one week, Michigan has lost to its biggest in-state rival, fired a coordinator and now suspended a former top recruit.

That puts pressure on Whittingham to hold the program together over the final three games. Retention matters here, because a player who is suspended indefinitely and isn’t playing often becomes a candidate for the transfer portal. That’s my read, not anything Michigan has said, but it’s a pattern worth watching.

For a first-year coach, the next three weeks are about more than results. They’ll show whether he still has the locker room, and whether the Wolverines can stop the slide before the offseason arrives.