Four Michigan football freshman who could earn roles in fall camp
The Michigan Wolverines have opened the first fall camp under head coach Sherrone Moore with plenty of snaps up for grabs and no shortage of storylines. While the 2024 class left some to be desired from a rankings perspective (No. 16 nationally in On3 Industry Ranking), there could be a handful of contributors that emerge in camp.
Here are four players to keep an eye on in the first fall camp of their Michigan careers.
Running back Jordan Marshall
The crown jewel of Michigan’s 2024 class has the chance to be the next in line of great running backs to come through the program. While senior Donovan Edwards and fifth-year Kalel Mullings set to handle the bulk of the duties in the run game, there is an opportunity in camp for someone to emerge as the next-man up.
Coming out of high school, Jordan Marshall displayed advanced vision and contact balance and comes in as a compact, durable runner who can reach another gear as he gets a full head of steam. Some have compared him to Blake Corum coming out of high school. If he can show an ability to be a reliable receiver in fall camp, he could take some snaps away from sophomores Benjamin Hall and Cole Cabana and be a true No. 3 option behind the two veterans.
Marshall seems a somewhat safe bet to be a big contributor sooner rather than later. Typically when U-M brings in a top-100 talent at running back, they typically play early (Zach Charbonnet, Corum, Edwards). It would be surprising if he didn’t have a decent role at some point this season.
Wide receiver I’Marion Stewart
Michigan’s wide receiver trio of Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan and Fred Moore will seemingly lead the way with Amorion Walker, CJ Charleston and Kendrick Bell battling it out for time, too. But the true freshman wideout could be a dark horse option as a returner, which has a chance to be his bread-and-butter role early on in his career.
Sources said this offseason that Michigan was keeping tabs on potential returners in the transfer portal, so even with seemingly-ready made options in Morris and Morgan, the battle for reps here might be a little wider open than it looks on paper.
So much of being a returner comes down to trust, and that is tough enough for experienced players to have catching kicks and punts, let alone a freshman. Coming into the mix in the summer is a hurdle, but he’s worth keeping an eye on as a special teamer.
EDGE Dominic Nichols
Michigan likes to rotate its edge rushers and that should continue well into the Wink Martindale era. Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore and TJ Guy should lead the way, but there’s always room for as many capable pass rushers as can be.
Nichols, a freshman early enrollee and spring standout, and was fairly impressive in the spring game, making a nice play on a 3rd and 5 situation where he brought down Ben Hall for a tackle for loss. The early returns have been extremely positive – Sherrone Moore complimented him last week at Big Ten Media Days – and with question marks about depth in the EDGE rotation, he could provide some good competition as early as this year before moving into an expanded role during the 2025 season.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan
There has been a lot of buzz about the steps that juniors Jimmy Rolder and Micah Pollard have taken and the way they have positioned themselves for a spot on the two-deep. But Sullivan is coming on line a freight train and the latest roster has him up to 225 pounds.
The Pittsburgh native has impressed every step of the way, dating back to his participation in Rose Bowl and National Championship game practices. He is advanced beyond his years and has progressed to the point where he is a legitimate candidate for a two-deep spot after a strong spring camp. Michigan is expecting him to, at the very least, earn a role on special teams. It’s possible he could crack the rotation as a potential LB3/4 if he continues his ascention into fall camp.
The post Four Michigan football freshman who could earn roles in fall camp appeared first on On3.
