What to expect from Michigan true freshman WR Andrew Marsh

The wide receiver position has been a bit of a bugaboo for Michigan in recent memory. Under Jim Harbaugh and now Sherrone Moore, Michigan has made running the ball a priority, and that philosophy has devalued Michigan in the eyes of prospective top tier receiving talent.

The Wolverines’ failure to obtain elite wide receiver talent all changed — at least on paper — when they signed Andrew Marsh (No. 82 overall) in the 2025 class. Marsh is Michigan’s first wide receiver in the top-100 overall players since 2017 (Donovan Peoples-Jones and Oliver Martin), according to 247Sports’ composite.

While his ranking is impressive, his film is even more so. Marsh is listed at 6-foot and plays to his size. He is very physical off the line of scrimmage and can create separation from merely being more aggressive and bodying defenders. He’s only 175 pounds, so he still has room for growth under the direction of Michigan’s strength and conditioning staff.

During and after the catch is when Marsh literally and figuratively sets himself apart. His strong hands allow him to highpoint the ball in the air and make challenged receptions look mundane. Marsh plays like a power forward and boxes out defenders to give them little chance to make a play on the ball.

Marsh is special with the ball in his hands. If he has the angle, he’ll slash through space and use his track speed to separate. Without the angle, he’ll punish defenders by running through arm tackles and if brought down, he does so while falling forward for extra yards. From a size and physicality perspective, his game is similar to a less polished Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Marsh’s play does have its flaws. He won’t have the benefit of bullying smaller defensive backs when he plays in the Big Ten. His route tree needs to be expanded and the crispness within his route running has a ways to go. On tape, he can struggle obtaining separation if his initial power off the line does not work. He also doesn’t necessarily have elite quickness out of his breaks to immediately separate from defenders. Certainly, these are issues that can be corrected and skills that can be developed over his career.

Marsh has the production to match his physical tools. He played at the 6A level for Texas’ Katy Jordan High School against some of the best talent in the country. He registered 214 receptions for 3,586 yards and 42 touchdowns during his high school career.

Marsh spoke with On3’s EJ Holland back in December, and he certainly has the ambition to be an elite player.

“As a team, obviously I want to win some more championships ... bring some more national championships. Of course, we gotta beat that team down south in red, we gotta beat them a few more times. And then, honestly for myself, definitely would love to go win a Biletnikoff, have three back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, possibly go win a Heisman. Those are obviously some big goals for me. And then obviously make it to the league.”

Moore and new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey both want Michigan’s offense to be more balanced. Bryce Underwood is going to need some good players to receive his passes during his career if the Wolverines are to achieve their goals. Why not have it be Michigan’s first elite wide receiver talent in nearly a decade?