Nate Marshall leaves Michigan, likely headed to portal

The news landed Tuesday afternoon from a longtime Michigan beat writer, with sources confirming it.

Chris Balas

@Balas_Wolverine

Story: Sources confirm Michigan defensive end Nate Marshall is no longer on the team and will likely enter the transfer portal. t.co/iHon0UiG91

Marshall is not some anonymous walk-on. He was a highly decorated recruit, and Michigan flipped him from Auburn on signing day. A blue-chip pass rusher coming to Ann Arbor at the last second was a real win for the staff, so watching him walk out the door mid-season stings.

It has not been a smooth ride. According to SI's Michigan site, Marshall struggled in the spring and the staff wasn't happy with some things off the field. He even admitted he was missing a lot of class early on, and the new staff's accountability system answered that with more punishment, including early-morning lifts. The flip side is that he also earned academic all-Big Ten honors, so he clearly turned some of it around.

On the field he had the moment every edge rusher wants. Marshall made the walk-off sack on John Mateer to seal the win over Oklahoma. That is the kind of play that should have launched a breakout season. It didn't. He started strong and then faded, and by the time he left he had dropped behind Benny Patterson and Tariq Boney for snaps as a backup.

So from a pure football standpoint, Michigan can absorb this. He wasn't starting, and the rotation has already moved on without him. The bigger issue is the look of it. SI reports Marshall is the first current Wolverine to leave during this 5-4 season, and a team sitting at 5-4 does not need players heading for the exits before the year is over.

Next up is the portal. A former blue-chipper with a big-game sack on his tape is going to get calls, and a fresh start somewhere else could be exactly what he needs. Michigan's job is simpler and harder: keep the locker room together and finish the season before anyone else starts looking around.