​Michigan Football running backJordan Marshall keeps showing up around the fringe of the national conversation entering 2026, but rarely near the center of it.ESPN listed him among the running backs receiving votes outside its national top-10, while CBS Sports recently left Michigan off its ranking of college football’s top-10 backfields altogether. That feels like a strange place for a player and position group coming off the season Marshall just produced.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite beginning 2025 behind Justice Haynes, Marshall led Michigan with 932 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 yards per attempt, forced 46 missed tackles and gained 3.8 yards per carry after contact, earning an 87.8 overall grade from PFF in the process.The workload makes those numbers even more impressive. Marshall eclipsed 20 carries just twice all season, yet still came within 68 yards of reaching 1,000. Once Michigan began leaning on him more heavily, he responded with four consecutive 100-yard games from Oct. 18 through Nov. 15, scoring seven times during that stretch.Ultimately, Marshall injured his shoulder late in the season, was limited against Ohio State and did not play in the bowl game vs Texas. Instead of ending the year with a nationally televised opportunity to cross the 1,000-yard mark, his breakout season quietly faded into the background.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat probably explains at least part of why he is being overlooked now. The arrival of five-star freshman Savion Hiter has also taken up a lot of the headlines this offseason. Hiter deserves the excitement, but his presence shouldn’t distract from what Michigan already has in Marshall. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has made it clear that Marshall remains RB1, and pairing the two could give the Wolverines one of the most dangerous backfields in the country.That’s why Michigan’s absence from CBS Sports’ top-10 running back units list feels especially questionable. The Wolverines finished 14th nationally in rushing last season despite injuries to both Marshall and Haynes. Now, Marshall returns healthy, Hiter joins the rotation and offensive coordinator Jason Beck takes over after directing the nation’s No. 2 rushing attack in consecutive seasons at two different programs.Marshall doesn’t need projection to justify the hype. He has already shown he can produce at an elite level without receiving a traditional feature-back workload. Now he enters 2026 healthy, established atop the depth chart and playing in an offense expected to lean heavily on the run. If the carries finally catch up to his efficiency, overlooking Marshall won’t remain an option for very long.