When talking about potential Heisman Trophy candidates entering the 2026 college football season, Michigan running back Jordan Marshall isn’t one of the first names that gets brought up.
Maybe he should be.
Marshall enters his junior season as Michigan’s clear No. 1 running back after a breakout 2025 campaign, and everything appears to be lining up for an even bigger year. With a new offense, an established quarterback in Bryce Underwood and an opportunity to receive a much larger workload from the beginning of the season, Marshall has the pieces around him to become a legitimate Heisman sleeper.
He’s already on the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, which recognizes candidates for college football’s player of the year.
His 2025 Numbers Don’t Tell the Entire Story
Marshall finished last season with 932 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on only 150 carries, averaging an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. He also caught nine passes for 92 yards.
Those are strong numbers by themselves.
What makes them more impressive is that Marshall wasn’t Michigan’s featured back for the entire season.
Justice Haynes opened the year as Michigan’s top running back and rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games. Once Marshall received his opportunity to take over the backfield, he showed exactly what he could do with a bigger workload.
Marshall averaged 124.2 rushing yards per game across his five career starts and scored seven touchdowns over his final five appearances of 2025.
Give him that type of workload for an entire season and the numbers could get big quickly.
The Purdue Game Showed His Potential
Marshall’s performance against Purdue gave Michigan fans a glimpse of what he can look like as a true feature back.
He ran for a career-high 185 yards and three touchdowns, earning Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
It wasn’t just one big run inflating his numbers. Marshall handled 25 carries and showed he could be the centerpiece of Michigan’s offense when asked to take on a major workload.
That’s important when talking about a potential Heisman run.
Marshall doesn’t need to prove that he’s capable of producing when given 20-plus carries. He’s already done it. Now he needs the opportunity to do it consistently.
Michigan’s New Offense Could Be Perfect for Him
One of the biggest reasons Marshall deserves sleeper consideration is Michigan’s change on offense.
New offensive coordinator Jason Beck comes to Ann Arbor after running an extremely productive offense at Utah. His 2025 Utah offense finished second nationally in rushing yards per game, and Michigan now gives him another talented backfield to work with.
That could be great news for Marshall.
Michigan has always wanted to establish the run, and that philosophy isn’t expected to disappear under Kyle Whittingham. If anything, Marshall could become an even bigger part of the offense.
A season with 200-plus carries appears very realistic.
And if Marshall continues averaging anywhere close to the 6.2 yards per carry he posted last season, reaching 1,300 to 1,500 rushing yards becomes a realistic possibility.
Bryce Underwood Could Actually Help His Heisman Case
Having Bryce Underwood at quarterback might seem like something that takes attention away from Marshall.
It could actually help him.
Defenses can’t simply load the box when they’re facing one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football. Underwood’s ability as both a passer and runner forces defenses to account for more than Michigan’s running backs.
Add Andrew Marsh and an improved group of receivers to the equation, and Michigan could have a much more explosive offense in 2026.
Marshall himself recently predicted that Michigan’s offense will be “explosive” this season. Expectations are clearly much higher for this group entering Year 2 with Underwood.
If Michigan’s passing game forces defenses to spread out, Marshall could find plenty of room to run.
The Schedule Gives Him National Opportunities
Winning the Heisman isn’t only about numbers.
You need moments.
Michigan’s schedule gives Marshall plenty of opportunities to create them.
The Wolverines face Oklahoma early in the season and later have major Big Ten games against Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, Oregon and Ohio State.
Imagine Marshall rushing for 150 yards against Oklahoma in a nationally televised game. Or taking over against Penn State. Or putting together a monster performance against Ohio State with Michigan’s playoff hopes on the line.
Those are the performances that can turn a player from a good running back into a national Heisman candidate.
The Biggest Challenge Will Be Sharing the Spotlight
Marshall’s biggest obstacle might be someone standing in his own backfield.
Underwood will receive plenty of national attention entering his second season, and if Michigan becomes a serious national championship contender, the quarterback will naturally receive Heisman consideration.
But that doesn’t mean Marshall can’t build his own case.
Michigan fans themselves appear extremely high on him. In a recent SB Nation Reacts poll, 59% picked Marshall to be Michigan’s offensive MVP in 2026, compared with 26% for Underwood.
That’s a pretty strong indication of how high expectations have become.
What Would a Heisman-Caliber Season Look Like?
For Marshall to actually get to New York, he’s probably going to need numbers somewhere around 1,500 rushing yards and 15-plus touchdowns, along with Michigan competing near the top of the Big Ten.
That’s a major jump from his 2025 totals.
But it’s not impossible.
Marshall was only 68 yards away from 1,000 last season despite making just four starts at running back. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and finished the season playing some of his best football.
Now he’s the guy.
The workload should increase. The offense could improve. And Michigan should give him plenty of opportunities to perform on the national stage.
Don’t Forget About Jordan Marshall
Marshall isn’t entering 2026 as a Heisman favorite, and that’s exactly why he belongs in the sleeper conversation.
He doesn’t need to be the biggest name in August.
He needs to become one of the biggest names by November.
If Marshall turns his late-2025 production into a full season, reaches the 1,500-yard range and helps Michigan compete for a Big Ten championship, his name is going to start appearing in a lot more Heisman conversations.