Zack Marshall Has Committed to Michigan
Michigan landed a second TE for their 2023 class on Saturday afternoon in the form of 3* Zack Marshall:
COMMITTED TO THE 〽️ pic.twitter.com/TUSZltwtnJ
— Zack Marshall (@TheZackMarsh) August 13, 2022
The Wolverines already have Deakon Tonielli in the class, and now add Marshall to complete their 2023 haul at the position. Marshall is a name who only appeared on Michigan's radar recently and the courtship was rather quick. Marshall is a 3* in the composite, ranked #684 overall from Carlsbad, CA. The other primary suitor was Utah. A Hello will be coming in the near future.
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August 13th, 2022 at 5:30 PM ^
Seems to me these new recruits were pursued because of the standard they just had, like Erick All.
August 13th, 2022 at 5:57 PM ^
247 has his grading at .8719 and lists him as an athlete. 6'4" and 220lbs.
Offers from: Washington State, Boise State, Utah, Arizona, Army, California, Colorado State, and Montana State.
https://247sports.com/Recruitment/Zack-Marshall-149536/RecruitInterests/
August 16th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Looking at the 247 Recruiting Interests list, it's pretty apparent Zach is a high-academics kid, too. Among the schools on his list are Stanford, Penn, Cal, and the one he chose, U of M.
Welcome to Michigan, Zach!
August 13th, 2022 at 6:53 PM ^
Very Excited for this kid - Welcome to Michigan young man.
As for his ranking....... if M can't land the very top kids at TE -- (Hasz or Spurlock this cycle) -- I would much rather trust their scouting on late risers (ala Colston Loveland) than some kid that was identified early by the services and just hangs around the low 4*/High 3* range due to inertia. I think Tonelli (sp?) fits that mold also...his ranking definitely does not match the priority that M placed on landing him.
August 13th, 2022 at 7:25 PM ^
Late riser? I'd rather have Loveland than anyone we supposedly missed on. Loveland lower ranking was because he's in Idaho. Had he played in a hotbed he'd have been much higher.
August 13th, 2022 at 9:08 PM ^
That is exactly what I am getting at. I recall many that were not happy that M was "conceding defeat" on prospects like Delp (to UGA) by going after this lowly-ranked no-name kid from Idaho. Loveland shot up in the rankings late but was probably still undervalued in the end due to his locale.
I think TE and OL are prime positions where late growth spurts cause kids to emerge as great prospects late in process much more than most other positions.
August 14th, 2022 at 8:29 AM ^
Especially OL...because you can be a Kyle Kalis that hits your growth spurt early and MAULS everything in site as a Sophomore in high school, but your development from that point to your senior year of college is relatively minimal.
OL is one where the big strong kids are going to look incredible. But are they going to get better? Or are they just going to be a big strong high school player throughout their time in college?
August 13th, 2022 at 7:23 PM ^
Surprised it's not mentioned in the post, but he's teammates with Julian Sayin (#2 overall QB prospect for '24 class, Georgia leads). If Georgia ends up pursuing Jadyn Davis as their primary option, don't be surprised if Michigan turns it up on Sayin's recruitment.
August 13th, 2022 at 7:26 PM ^
Should have ended your post with, "just sayin' "
August 13th, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
Never a great idea to take two TEs in one class. You don’t need more than 3 scholarship TEs on the roster at a time, and especially not with today’s offenses. There are always failed FBs, DEs or even QBs to turn into backup TEs, and unlike WRs, your 5th TE will never be a factor.
August 13th, 2022 at 9:40 PM ^
You do realize that M currently has SEVEN scholarship TEs on the roster, right? and that they consistently were getting 2 on the field much of last season?
In addition, M also stands to lose their top 3 scholarship TEs next year (and Carter Selzer who got a fair amount of PT last year as a walk on) so I do not feel 2 is a bad plan for this year.
You may be right about MOST current college offenses - ala OSU, Purdue and every B12 team etc. - but in the B1G UM is not alone in the reliance on a TE in base packages.
Given the flexibility a player like All provides and the creative ways that M was able to use him (and Schoonmaker to a lesser extent) last year I would not doubt that you see more college offenses trying to integrate some of those concepts. However I am not sure how many players can do everything E. All does -- a player that can operate in the traditional in-line position, shift/motion inside to more of a FB role in the run game, and also flex wide. There is no "tipping the play call" with All in the lineup like one might with a "failed DE or FB".
August 14th, 2022 at 5:54 PM ^
The current situation is only because of Covid. And seven scholarship TEs is too many. You need 3-4 actually recruited as TEs, and a couple more converted, because there are always failed guys that you can convert to TE. When was the last time a Michigan offense had two TEs with 30-40 catches? Answer-never. You really only need one good pass-catching TE in the rotation, and a couple of other guys who can block. Any more than that is excess. If you just happen to have two, like we do this year, that's a bonus, but you don't need it, and planning for it is a waste of scholarships that could be better used.
August 13th, 2022 at 9:51 PM ^
You haven’t met our coach yet apparently
August 13th, 2022 at 10:07 PM ^
At most schools maybe, but we have become TE U. Harbaugh been sending them with regularity to the pros. Gentry, McKeon, and Butt*, and soon All and Schoonmaker. And we often play two TE sets. I doubt we take two a year.
* was Hokes guy and got hurt.
August 14th, 2022 at 5:46 PM ^
Which doesn't change the fact that your fifth tight end will never be a factor.
August 14th, 2022 at 8:37 PM ^
Your fifth TE becomes your 2nd/3rd TE pretty quickly. And with the transfer portal I don't think it really matters because guys who are really stuck will look elsewhere. These are all players with options.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:11 PM ^
DeepBlueC,
MGoBlog coined the phrase, “sometimes people are in charge of things for no other reason than they are in charge of things.” Or however Brian precisely worded it. So we are clear on this blog about being able to question coaches, ADs, or anyone.
That said, I’ll trust Harbaugh on the number of TE’s to recruit in a class for what he wants the offense to be. I think he’s earned that much.
August 14th, 2022 at 8:16 AM ^
Welcome-to Zack. This young man fits the profile of who Michigan football is recruiting to a "T". I like his chances of becoming a contributor on and off the field. Best wishes, here.
August 14th, 2022 at 2:19 PM ^
I live in Cbad we have a good Pop Warner and High School team in a decent league, can check him out this fall, looks athletic
August 14th, 2022 at 8:35 PM ^
Seems like an athletic fit and has some room to grow.
August 15th, 2022 at 11:10 AM ^
Nice pick-up
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