Jake Butt has never been one to mince words about Michigan football, and the former Wolverine tight end just put a sizable expectation on the back of junior running back Jordan Marshall.
Speaking on the Big Ten Network’s “Big Ten Today,” Butt said dished on Marshall’s chances of winning th Heisman Trophy this season.
“Jordan Marshall can be in the Heisman conversation throughout the season and freshman RB Savion Hiter should be freshman All-American,” Butt said.
Coming from a two-time John Mackey Award winner and 2016 consensus All-American, the comment carries weight in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines prepare for a 2026 season that already feels loaded with pressure.
Marshall arrives at that conversation after a breakout 2025 campaign that finally gave him the featured role he was recruited to fill. The Cincinnati product, once ranked as the No. 4 running back in the 2023 class, had been used sparingly in his first two years.
Last fall, he responded with 932 rushing yards on 150 carries, a 6.2-yard average, and 10 touchdowns in 11 games. He also added nine receptions for 92 yards, showing enough versatility to keep defenses honest.
Those numbers came after a limited 2024 season of 120 yards and an even quieter freshman year. Given the full workload, Marshall looked like a physical, downhill back who could wear down a defense over four quarters.
Michigan enters the year ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, a modest placement for a program that still measures itself against its 2023 national championship standard.
The Wolverines have spent the intervening seasons dealing with off-field noise and on-field inconsistency. A productive Marshall would give them a reliable identity on the ground and, if Butt’s prediction holds, a player who could stay in the national awards discussion week after week.
That would be a welcome change for a fan base that has grown accustomed to watching other programs dominate the Heisman chatter.
Butt’s optimism also extends to the supporting cast. Freshman Savion Hiter is expected to complement Marshall rather than replace him, and a two-back attack that features both a proven junior and a highly regarded newcomer could keep Michigan’s offense balanced even if the passing game faces early growing pains.
For Marshall personally, the jump from 900-yard season to Heisman mention is steep. He will need to stay healthy, produce against a rugged Big Ten schedule, and help Michigan climb the rankings. Yet the foundation is there: efficiency, toughness, and a coaching staff that now trusts him as a team captain.
Whether the Heisman talk proves premature or prophetic will play out over the coming months.
What is already clear is that Michigan’s backfield is no longer an afterthought. Jake Butt has put the spotlight on Jordan Marshall, and the junior now has a season to decide how brightly it shines.
