In the second game of the season, in his third year, Michigan football tight end Zack Marshall found himself thrust into an enlarged role. Starter Marlin Klein and backup Hogan Hansen both are dealing with injuries, thus, the Carlsbad, California native was out on the field early and often against Oklahoma in Norman.
It wasn’t a breakout moment. Marshall didn’t light up the scene, opening eyes across college football. But the smiley former three-star showcased that he can play the game at a high level, even if the stats didn’t turn him into an overnight superstar — almost like what happened with Klein in Week 1.
But Marshall has moonlighted at tight end and fullback. And for him, that’s part and parcel of what Michigan is — being able to play any role when called upon.
“Versatility is one of the biggest things,” Marshall said. “I mean, we’re at this university, A, because we can play darn good football, but B, because we’re smart. We’re able to play multiple roles, able to be the person that Michigan needs you to be. That’s what we get told all the time. It’s not about anything other than the team, the team, the team. Be who Michigan needs you to be.
“So, if Michigan needs me to be Max Bredeson’s backup, Michigan needs me to be that. If it needs me to be Bryce Underwood’s backup, darn it, I’ll play quarterback. I don’t care. So, on any given Saturday, you can line up. I mean, shoot, I’ll go play defense if they ask me to do it, right? So, be who Michigan needs you to be.”
With that in mind, Marshall embodies the Michigan way. Despite being a high-end academic institution that’s considered to be a bit frou-frou (there is a stigma of sushi and champagne at tailgates compared to other schools), inside the football program itself, the players embrace a blue-collar mentality.
Marshall explains just how that permeates throughout his tight end room as well as through the entire program.
“So I would say the biggest person I’ve learned from is Max Bredeson, actually,” Marshall said. “Just the mentality of how to show up every day with like a lunch pail mentality, right? Like you really have to because on a Tuesday, you’re going to hate being in here on a Wednesday — you’re going to love being here on a Friday. You’re going to love, right? Like it doesn’t matter where your emotion stands that day. Like being able to show up, be the same person every single day.
“Just like what I said earlier, right? This is like a program wide thing that we’ve been talking about, like how you do things matters. And it’s because of just who Michigan is, not who you are, not who you grew up being, not what you want to be. It’s who Michigan is. And that’s how you fit into this. It starts from recruiting. Like that’s how you are. So Colston was the exact same way. I mean, I don’t think I could tell you enough times of where like, why are you still here, bro? You’re going to the NFL next year. Like, just you’re good. The offense, like, you know what you’re doing. Why are you still here? And he was still here. He was one of those guys, Marlin, same way. I mean, he’s going to be here till like midnight. I don’t know. I mean, just, it’s the way we operate. So that’s what I’ve learned from them.”
It’s unclear whether or not Marshall will be the starting tight end on Saturday when Michigan hosts Central Michigan at noon EDT at The Big House. But either way, he’ll likely continue to see an increased workload.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Zack Marshall steps up for Michigan, embracing versatility and blue-collar mentality
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
