Kyle Whittingham Gives Injury Update on Michigan Football's Star Running Back

Conference play is set to begin in just a few short days, and the Michigan Wolverines have some injury issues they are going to have to navigate.

The big injury news coming out of Kyle Whittingham’s media availability on Monday was that right tackle Andrew Sprague had an injury timetable that was uncertain.

Whittingham described his return as something that could happen this week or in several weeks.

That’s not exactly an encouraging report as Michigan’s depth on the offensive line is already being tested without Andrew Babalola being able to suit up for the team.

In the midst of the bad news up front, there was some good news that Michigan was able to find with their star running back.

Jordan Marshall has been battling a nagging injury, which Whittingham confirmed on Monday. That appeared obvious to anyone who had been watching Marshall play so far this season, but the confirmation was officially given after the UTEP game.

Marshall and the rest of the backfield have been less effective this season, and a big reason was that Marshall’s ability to make plays after he’s first contacted has declined dramatically. At one point during the UTEP game, the Big Ten Network broadcast showed a graphic saying that Marshall’s average yards-after-contact has been cut in half from 2025 to the early portion of 2026.

That’s concerning for a group who has struggled to make blocks both at the line of scrimmage and on the second level. The best backs, are the ones who can make people miss. Marshall’s superpower for his two seasons at Michigan has been his ability to churn out extra yards after he’s been touched.

The thought for Marshall after his injury was revealed that he could potentially take a seat for a week or two to try and get fully healthy.

That does not appear to be the plan according to Whittingham.

“Jordan will be available unless there’s a setback during the course of the week,” Whittingham said. “He came out of this game feeling much better than when he came out of the last game, so there’s been progress there.”

The fact that Marshall came out feeling better was a bit of a surprise considering he left the field with a slight limp in the second half of Michigan’s 52-17 win over UTEP, but that’s encouraging news from Michigan’s head coach.

The Burden

Football has a 100 percent injury rate. If you play football, you’re going to get hurt at some point. Playing through pain is the expectation, not an exception. That’s especially true of players who have been voted team captains.

Jordan Marshall fits all of the qualities listed above. As a captain, fighting through pain is going to be the expectation for him to help his team.

Marshall appears as if he’ll be able to do that this weekend against a tough Iowa defense where every yard could be earned the hard way.

The Caveat

The caveat that Whittingham gave in his press conference was worth mentioning as well. Marshall should be available, unless there’s a setback.

If there is a setback, that’s obvious that an aggravation of the injury happened in practice. Furthermore, what exactly does available mean? Does Marshall have the ability to handle his normal workload?

Does he start? Does he give way to Savion Hiter? Do some of the carries that typically go to Marshall now go to Bryson Kuzda?

Technically Marshall could suit up and still be vastly limited. That’s exactly what happened last year against Ohio State. Marshall came into the game with some bumps and bruises, started the game, but ultimately was on the sideline for most of the second half.

After the game was over, it was noted that he was available in an emergency situation only. What that emergency situation was, is anyone’s guess at this point.

This is something to monitor throughout the game on Saturday, but for now at least, there are some reasons for optimism that Marshall will play.

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