TAMPA, Fla. —Â With the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama a seeming afterthought — most didn’t anticipate a second-string Michigan beating a first-string Crimson Tide — most of the attention last week was on the early-enrollees.
Led by five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, there was a litany of high-profile players already working out with the team, including wide receivers Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder, offensive linemen Andrew Babalola and Avery Gach, cornerback Shamari Earls, and defensive tackle Travis Moten.
After the ReliaQuest Bowl win, WolverinesWire asked freshman running back Jordan Marshall of his impression on Underwood and the group, and he didn’t mince words about how good the group may be.
“Bryce, Marsh, you got Avery at O-line, they’re gonna be monsters,” Marshall said. “They already came in and they were making statements big and taking coaching, and that’s all it is, is taking coaching. You know how to play football. They all know how to play football, so the talent we have and the guys that we have that didn’t get to play today, there’s some studs on our team, and Michigan’s in great hands.”
Michigan football fans are certainly happy with an uncharacteristic 8-5 season considering some of the wins. Victories over Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Northwestern (the latter three being trophy games) took away the sting of not being in the College Football Playoff for a fourth straight year.
With that in mind, Marshall says that he’s already been letting the early-enrollees know that this type of season cannot happen again given the team’s goals.
“We can say it’s a good season, but it’s not Michigan standard, and we gotta get it back to the standard, which is bringing national championships back here,” Marshall said. “And like I told Bryce, right when we walked into the locker room, I was like, This isn’t happening again. We’re not playing — we’re playing for the chip. We’re playing for the whole thing, the natty, that’s what we want.”