The Importance of Nate Marshall's Commitment to Michigan football
Monday has been a great day for the Michigan Wolverines. The basketball team landed Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr, and the football team got an absolutely massive commitment in Nate Marshall. I wrote yesterday that the Michigan football had a lot of momentum with Marshall, and apparently he was ready to pull the trigger on a commitment.
Landing Marshall is huge for Michigan for Michigan football. The Wolverines had gone almost four months without a football commitment, which is unheard of coming off of a national title. There were concerns about whether or not the Wolverines were going to be able to capitalize on their momentum. And while there still are concerns, specifically where NIL is involved, some of those worries have been alleviated.
Marshall, who is ranked as the #35 player in the nation according to 247 Sports, is the highest ranked defensive line commit for the Wolverines since Aubrey Solomon in 2017. It cannot be understated how big of a win this is.
Sherrone Moore and new defensive line coach Lou Esposito deserve a ton of credit here. Moore was a huge part of Marshall's recruitment, and personally visited him earlier in the year. Esposito, meanwhile, hit the ground sprinting immediately after his hire.
Esposito was not known primarily for his recruiting when Michigan football hired him. His previous coaching stops didn't really afford him the opportunity to earn that title. But it's clear that he's willing to work very hard on the trail, and this is a huge win and vote of confidence for him.
I believe that this could open the floodgates as we approach Summer official visits. Guys like Avery Gach or Marquise Davis could be motivated by this commitment, and think about joining Marshall. Gach appears to be trending heavily as Michigan's next commitment, and Michigan football has a lot of momentum with Davis.
Another huge part of this commitment is Marshall's relationship with fellow Chicago-area defensive lineman Jaylen Williams. Williams, ranked as a top 150 player in the nation, was a heavy Michigan lean for some time. And then the staff got overhauled. And then Greg Scruggs got fired.
Michigan football lost all its momentum with Williams and was definitely moving in the wrong direction. The commitment of Marshall, however, may put the Wolverines back on track. The next step is to obviously to get Williams back on campus. Remember, Williams seemed poised to commit to the Wolverines before the staff got blown up. This is a very winnable recruitment.
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All in all, Nate Marshall's commitment ends what seemed like a cursed period. It should allow Michigan football to build some serious momentum on the recruiting trail, and it wouldn't be shocking to see their recruiting class, currently ranked #35 in the nation, soar near the top 10 by the end of the Summer. Keep an eye out for more recruiting news.