For Michigan tight end and Carlsbad alum Zack Marshall, college football has left a close friendship on hold.
“If it wasn’t for Ohio State and Michigan, we’d probably still be besties,” Marshall said of his former Lancer teammate, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in this month’s Heisman Trophy voting. “That’s just how it works. This place changes you.”
There were no “remember whens” or pregame hugs during this season’s installment of the rivalry — often called “The Game.”
On Nov. 29, both Marshall, a junior, and Sayin saw significant on-field action for the first time as opposing players, as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan 27-9, with Sayin throwing three touchdowns.
“He outdid us a little bit,” Marshall told The Coast News. “The only times I saw him were when I was on the sideline, and the only times he saw me were when he was on the sideline. There’s obviously mutual respect—both of us coming from Carlsbad. I used to throw it with that kid, but that’s just the nature of the rivalry. It’s hard to look past the value you put on the team, even when it’s someone you’re close with. That’s just the way it is.”
To Marshall, though, being a Wolverine or a Buckeye isn’t a lifelong sentence — they’ll pick up where they left off someday.
“We’re both proud to be from San Diego; both proud to be from Carlsbad,” Marshall said. “But at the end of the day, I’m Michigan, he’s Ohio State. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll both get drafted and rekindle our friendship. Not that it’s ever gone away — it’s just not the cards right now. Right now, we’re rivals.”
Marshall, six-foot-four and nearly 250 pounds, has 15 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown this season — all firsts in his college career.
“I’m happy, but not satisfied,” Marshall said. “Getting your feet wet and realizing you can play at this level — that builds confidence. Until you do it, there’s always that tiny bit of doubt, a little nervousness. It’s good to be nervous, but this year I learned to go from nervous to fully embracing the moment. Going into next year, I want to take that next step, keep improving, and achieve my next goals.”
His biggest game came Oct. 18 against Washington, when he hauled in five receptions for 72 yards and a score.
“Scoring is amazing,” Marshall said. “Tom Brady answers which ring is his favorite? Saying the next one. So I’ll tell you, when I get another touchdown, that the next touchdown is going to be my favorite one.”
Marshall spent his senior year at Carlsbad after transferring from Santa Fe Christian. As a Lancer, he caught 23 passes for five touchdowns on a 2023 team that finished 10-2 and fell to Cathedral Catholic in the Open Division championship game.
“[Carlsbad head] coach [Thadd] Mac[Neal] — his entire mindset toward football is the biggest thing I’ve taken with me,” Marshall said. “Just showing up, grinding, being the first one out, being the last one to leave — that’s truly the mentality of a person who’s going to go far. That’s something both Julian and I took.
“Even though I was only at Carlsbad for a year, Coach Mac and I have an amazing relationship. I still call him all the time. I realized how right [the coaching staff] were. After the game against Washington, I looked back and [the coaching staff] were right all along.
“I just wanted to do the cool thing, and then I realized in college football it’s not all about the flash. It’s about putting yards and points on the board and winning the game. At the end of the day, the things I took with me — I didn’t realize until I had to relearn them. Those are the moments I look back and say, ‘Wow, they knew exactly what they were talking about.’ We were blessed to have that level of coaching and that level of detail in high school.”
Marshall sat out his first four games as a Lancer due to transfer rules, joking, “I’ll never forgive CIF for that.” His first game on the field — against Liberty out of Bakersfield — remains vivid, both for the touchdown he caught and, more memorably, the touchdown he threw on a gadget play to Justin Johnson, now a defensive back at Fordham.
“I remember the exact play call,” Marshall said. “It was a motion from left to right. I popped out behind Julian; he throws me the ball. Boom. I just turned to my right and I see Justin going up close to the back of the end zone. If you watch the play, man, I put that thing on a rope right into the back of the end zone.”
Marshall will be looking for that next touchdown when No. 18 Michigan (9-3) faces No. 13 Texas (9-3) in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
