It’s been a series of messy events for Michigan. The 15-6 loss to Michigan State was bad enough. Then came the firing of OC Jason Beck, another round of questions about the QB situation, and now Kyle Whittingham has another roster problem to deal with. This time, it involves one of the more intriguing young pass rushers on the team.

Sophomore DE Nate Marshall is no longer with the Michigan football program, according to a report from UofM Coverage on X. The news arrived with three regular-season games remaining, leaving the Wolverines to sort out another unexpected change while trying to save a season that has slipped to 5-4.

There is little information about what happened. Some outlets reported that Nate Marshall had been kicked off the team but offered no explanation for the departure. Michigan spokesman Dave Ablauf provided a different account on Tuesday, November 11, saying the player had made a personal decision to leave the team.

Still, losing Nate Marshall at this stage of the season is not ideal, particularly when Kyle Whittingham once described him as “one of the best pass rushers on the team, if not the best pure pass rusher.” And that wasn’t empty praise.

Nate Marshall arrived in Ann Arbor as one of the bigger names in Michigan’s 2025 recruiting class. The Oak Park, Illinois, native was a high four-star recruit and ranked among the top edge rushers in the country, including third at his position in the 2025 class.

His freshman season was mostly about learning the ropes. He appeared in 11 games, but his opportunities on defense were limited. Special teams accounted for much of his involvement.

Things looked different this season. Nate Marshall impressed during fall camp and earned a bigger role in the defensive rotation. He finished with 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2026. One of those sacks came at a crucial moment that ended Oklahoma’s final possession in Michigan’s victory over the Sooners.

Kyle Whittingham had spoken positively about Nate Marshall’s development during fall camp, although his comments also revealed that the sophomore had some work to do away from the football field.

“Nate Marshall, who had some struggles in spring, some things that I wasn’t real pleased with off the field, has really grown up in the last eight months,” the head coach said.

Nate Marshall had acknowledged earlier in September that missing classes had been a problem, something he needed to correct after the coaching change.

“I’d say the biggest thing that I had to scale back on was missing class,” he said. “I was missing a lot of class earlier in the year, and that was just something I couldn’t do, especially with this new coaching staff.”

He also said he had made significant improvements academically and earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition. It would be irresponsible to connect those earlier academic issues directly to his departure. Neither Nate Marshall nor Michigan has provided that explanation.

Chris Balas of The Wolverine also reported Tuesday that Nate Marshall intends to enter the transfer portal. That would bring an end to his Michigan stint after two seasons, just as he appeared to be finding his footing defensively.

There is at least one reason Michigan shouldn’t panic immediately. Nate Marshall’s playing time had become less prominent, while other young defenders have started making their presence felt. Tariq Boney and Benny Patterson give the Wolverines options along the defensive front, which should help Kyle Whittingham manage the immediate loss.

But replacing a player with Nate Marshall’s recruiting pedigree and pass-rushing ability is a different matter. And this is unlikely to be the last roster headache Michigan encounters.

Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines have little time to absorb another setback

Michigan is already looking at significant changes after the season, particularly on defense, where several starters could depart for the NFL or exhaust their eligibility. Nate Marshall’s exit only adds another layer to the uncertainty surrounding the unit. It’s a bad time because the Wolverines have enough problems without adding another personnel distraction.

The offensive struggles have already cost Jason Beck his job. Kyle Whittingham admitted the offense never found its footing when explaining the decision to move on from his OC.

“It never clicked,” he said Monday. “We never seemed to get into a rhythm.”

Meanwhile, the QB situation has become another weekly storyline. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Tommy Carr is expected to start against Oregon, with Bryce Underwood also expected to play after Kyle Whittingham reopened the competition. And now, the defense has lost a promising young edge rusher.

Michigan still has three games left, and none offers much room for error. Oregon comes first on November 14 at Autzen Stadium. UCLA follows on November 21 in Ann Arbor before the Wolverines close the regular season against Ohio State on November 28.

That’s a brutal stretch for a 5-4 team trying to find some stability. Michigan can survive losing Nate Marshall over the next three games. The bigger question is what his exit says about the roster Kyle Whittingham is trying to build and how many more changes await once this difficult first season comes to an end.