Andrew Marsh’s path to Michigan Football, outlook for 2026

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Michigan hasn’t always been a school none for producing great wide receivers, but the play at the position dropped far below the program’s standards in 2024. In 2025, true freshman Andrew Marsh provided a much-needed spark to the offense and appears poised for an even bigger role in his sophomore year.

Here’s a look back at how he has gotten to this point and what to expect from him in his second college season.

The story so far

The Wolverines haven’t always made splashes on the recruiting trail when it comes to wide receivers, but Michigan was able to make one with Andrew Marsh. A native of Katy, Texas, Marsh committed back in Aug. 2024. He was a highly-touted recruit, finishing as the No. 117 overall player and No. 16 wide receiver in the country. The Wolverines were able to fend off schools like Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Georgia and Texas to land his services.

Entering 2025, Marsh was expected to get a decent amount of playing time, but maybe not play as big of a role as he eventually did. He scored his first career touchdown in Week 3 on a 23-yard end around against Central Michigan. From there, his role in the offense started to gradually grow, as it became apparent he and Donaven McCulley were the team’s only reliable receiving threats.

His first big performance came at USC, where he caught eight passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Later in the season, he really put himself on the map with a whopping 189 yards on 12 receptions during Michigan’s thrilling 24-22 victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. With those two performances, he became Michigan’s first freshman wide receiver to have multiple 100-yard games in a season since Roy Roundtree in 2009.

He had one last solid performance against Maryland with 76 yards and a touchdown, but was perplexingly absent from the game plan in an ugly loss to Ohio State with just one target and no receptions. On the year, he finished with 45 receptions for 651 yards and four touchdowns, all of which led the team.

Outlook for 2026

By the end of 2025, Marsh had already asserted himself as WR1, and he’ll enter this season with the same title.

Throughout the offseason, there’s been some discussion about the offense under Jason Beck incorporating more spread formations, which should open up more opportunities for Marsh and the other wide receivers at all levels of the field. This all comes as an effort to maximize the talent of sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood by giving him the chance to use his arm in more effective ways potentially generate a higher quantity of explosive plays for the offense. If Underwood takes a step forward, Marsh will be a big benefactor of that.

As for his specific fit in the offense, Marsh showed even as a freshman he’s a bit of a do-it-all receiver. He might not be a true burner, but showed the ability to both stretch the field on the outside and make plays after the catch from the slot. His route-running is already really impressive for a player his age, meaning he’ll likely be able to make space for himself no matter where he’s lined up. Not to mention, his body control and strong hands are major assets to his game and should certainly help his quarterback.

Additionally, Marsh served as Michigan’s primary kickoff return and punt return man for the second half of the 2025 season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him still be used in one or both of those capacities at least to start the season, but the hope should be they find someone else to take over those roles to prevent Marsh from having to take too many big hits.

Regardless of how the Wolverines try to incorporate Marsh in their game plans this fall, he possesses the talent to make plays in a variety of ways and should firmly enter the season on the radar as one of the Big Ten’s best wide receivers.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos