TAMPA, Fla. — Shortly after Michigan football put the finishing touches on its 19-13 ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama, coaches and players alike began to make their way down the southwest tunnel at Raymond James Stadium, back toward the locker rooms.
That is, except for one incoming freshman, who couldn’t help but stop, stare and take in the sights and sounds.
“We came out here and started really strong,” Andrew Marsh, a four-star wide receiver recruit from Katy Jordan High in Fulshear, Texas, told the Free Press about the first time he wore a maize and blue jersey on the sideline. “A little shaky through the middle, but we found our rhythm again, controlled the clock and got out with a dub.”
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The Wolverines certainly looked like a team that could’ve used Marsh — who comes to Ann Arbor rated the No. 10 wide receiver in his class, the No. 15 player in the state of Texas and the No. 75 overall player in the nation — as they completed just 11 of 15 passes for 75 yards Tuesday (though it was, remarkably, their third win of the season against a top-12 team when passing for fewer than 100 yards).
Of course, the Wolverines have been known more as a run-first team than one which turns out a ton of NFL-level wide receivers. Sure, there are some, such as Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Ronnie Bell and Roman Wilson. But as far as true X-type receivers, Collins is the only one to do so at the next level.
Even though Marsh, standing 6 feet 1 and 175 pounds, doesn’t have the typical size for an X wideout, he feels he can stand out for wide receiver coach Ron Bellamy. As a group, U-M’s wideouts had their worst season in decades in 2024, with nobody on the unit reaching even 250 yards receiving.
Although other receivers from the high school ranks have seen U-M’s lack of production on the outside as a deterrent, Marsh saw it as an opportunity.
“For me, what first appealed (about Michigan) was the people,” Marsh said. “The culture, the coaches are really personable and I feel like I could talk to them about anything. I just (wanted to) bring something new to Michigan. I really want to change the game and bring something to Michigan they haven’t seen before. I’d describe my play as really just a playmaker.
“Somebody who is going to go up and make the tough grabs, get open from really anywhere on the field and really just somebody you want the ball in their hands.”
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the best player in the nation is going to join the fold to toss passes, as Bryce Underwood flipped his pledge from LSU to U-M in November.
Marsh committed to U-M in August, evidence he has been locked in with the staff even before the Wolverines landed Underwood, but he said he got excited the more he heard about the potential of the Belleville QB joining the fold.
“He was most definitely a factor for me,” Marsh said of Underwood. “Early in the stages, he wasn’t as big of a factor, but definitely when word started to get around (he may come), it was definitely something I took into consideration. I would say me and his relationship is really good, we’ve been growing the relationship slowly.
“We hang out and stuff like that. Throw some balls. I really feel like we will have some great chemistry.”
Marsh finished his senior year with 65 catches for a school-record 1,172 yards and 11 touchdowns as he led Katy Jordan to its first regional semifinal appearance in school history. An AAU All-American in the high jump with a personal record of 6-4, Marsh leaves high school with more than 3,500 receiving yards and 42 touchdowns.
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“Andrew Marsh, he’s my guy,” wideout Fredrick Moore said after U-M wrapped up its 2024 season. “When I watch him I feel like I look at myself. He’s a route-runner, he’s from Houston, and he’s just a kid with grit, happy to be out here.
“I’m really excited to see him play.”
Moore said he will be happy to take all the freshmen “under my wing.” As a 2025 Navy All-American Bowl invitee, Marsh comes to Ann Arbor highly regarded. He won MVP at both Under Armour and Rivals camps as well as the NBC All-American Combine MVP.
In addition to Moore, U-M also has added Donaven McCulley (a former All Big Ten wideout from Indiana) to the room, and still has Semaj Morgan, Kendrick Bell and young players such as I’Marion Stewart and Channing Goodwin. The expectation is U-M will add one or two more names in the portal, but either way, Marsh has a chance to be one of the rare freshmen to make a mark in the passing game.
At least, that’s what he expects of himself.
“I want to get on the field as soon as possible,” Marsh said with a smile. “I mean, I wish I could’ve played today.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
