Tailbacks Haynes, Marshall Look to Do Big Things for Wolverines

Haynes: 'I see an offense that’s determined. Determined to prove a point.' Marshall: 'Our standard is to bring another national championship back here.'

Photos Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Tailback Justice Haynes, with running backs coach Tony Alford in the background, established himself as a difference-maker in spring practices.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – What caught my eye most in Saturday’s Michigan spring football game was the running of Alabama junior tailback transfer Justice Haynes – the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons running back Verron Haynes.

What grabbed our attention more than anything in the Wolverines’ upset win over Alabama in Tampa’s ReliaQuest Bowl was then freshman tailback Jordan Marshall carrying 23 times for 100 yards against a top defense.

Together, they appear certain to continue Michigan’s recent run on dynamic running tandems. The Wolverines have had Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings over the last four seasons.

It remains to be seen where this duo will rank with those backfields, and whether one or both tally 1,000-yard seasons.

What’s certain is that Haynes and Marshall have become fast friends who push one another. They feed off each other rather than letting the competition put them in separate corners, and love playing for second-year Wolverine running backs coach Tony Alford.

“Right when he got here,” Mashall said of Haynes, “we bonded. He’s a really good back, a really good person. Values God just like I do. We just clicked. We got out there laughing, joking.

“Tony Alford [is] a big goofball, but all three of us are always cracking jokes and it’s really light in our room. We can get on task really fast, and we can get off task really fast. But we always know how to get it back together, and [Haynes is] a great guy. I’m so glad that he chose Michigan, and I get to get pushed by him, and he gets to be pushed by me every single day.”

Saturday’s scrimmage – which The Big Ten Network will air for the first time Sunday at 11 a.m. – was our first look at Haynes. That is, unless you count his four carries for 31 yards as a member of the Crimson Tide against Michigan in the Jan. 1, 2024 Rose Bowl.

Playing with freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood for the victorious Blue team – which beat the Maize, 17-0 -- he displayed both bruising power and elite speed with six carries for 51 yards.

Haynes (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) took on two tacklers, punishing them while going down after picking up a first down. Later, he bobbed to the left and cut outside to the sideline for an impressive 26-yard pickup.

He was rated the nation’s No. 3 tailback by 247Sports Composite as a five-star senior at Buford (Ga.) High, and rushed 79 times for 448 yards with 5.7 yards per carry and seven touchdowns as an Alabama sophomore.

Dad was a Georgia Bulldog, and Haynes said his father attended Saturday’s game.

“He makes every game,” said Justice. “My dad’s meant everything to me. More than just football. That’s my dawg [laughter]. He instilled in me hard work from an early age. Telling me that he can’t want it for me more than I want it for myself. So, really showing me the way – giving me tips and reminders.

“Every day, we talk in the morning. We talk after every practice. We’re talking before every game. We talk, we pray. He gives me my tips and reminders for every game, and gets me in that mind-set. And that’s my dawg.”

Alford, who once recruited Haynes for Ohio State before he chose Alabama, finally got his man in last year’s transfer portal.

“T.A. is another father-figure in my life,” said Haynes. “That’s my dawg. That’s my man. He’s my dad when my dad’s not here. He’s my dad up here. We talk all the time. I hang out with him all the time. Our relationship – he means so much to me.

“He recruited me hard out of high school. Unfortunately, we didn’t connect [in Columbus] but God works in mysterious ways. We connected here [in Ann Arbor] and that’s just how it ended up. But, T.A., the whole vibe and connection that we have – that’s my man right there.”

What does Haynes hope to bring this year’s Wolverines?

“I just hope to help the team any way I possibly can,” he said. “Be a complete back. Be a leader to this team. Show what I’m capable of doing, and being explosive and dominating what I can dominate.”

And of Marshall’s contribution?

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said, smiling. “It’s going to be exciting, and, again, whatever I can do to help this team win is what I want to do.

“Our standard is to bring another national championship back here, and that’s what we’re going to do. I’m excited to see how [far] we can take this program and put it back on a pedestal, and bring one back. We want everything for everybody.”

Jordan Marshall busts up the middle for some of his 100 yards against Alabama in Michigan’s ReliaQuest Bowl win in Tampa to cap his freshman season.

Marshall (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) was limited to nine yards on four carries in the spring scrimmage, but busted out in the bowl game after first garnering attention as an explosive kick returner with nine for 225 yards and a 25-yard average. He was 247Sports Composite’s No. 7 national running back as a senior at iconic Cincinnati Moeller High, and the No. 3 player in Ohio as a four-star selection.

Wolverine coach Sherron Moore loves this pair.

“Really excited,” said Moore of his anticipation of a full season of Haynes. “Justice Haynes, when he bumped that one to the left [for 26 yards], he’s a guy who’s got home run speed and ability.

“But he’s been a great leader – a guy that obviously came from a different program in Alabama – and he’s showed us what he’s done. And Jordan – he just works his tail off and tries to emulate [Haynes] as much as he can.

“So, it’s been a great combination. They push guys like Bryson Kuzdzal [a junior from Ada, Mich., who had 14 carries for 105 yards in the spring game for the Maize], who ran well and we really feel highly about with Micah Ka’apana. So, we’ve got a good room and we’ll continue to push it and drive to get the best guys in there.”

Michigan will have relatively new quarterback and running back groups with bruising fullback/tight end Max Bredeson back to throw the blocks. Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and sophomore Jadyn Davis figure into the quarterback mix with Underwood – rated the No. 1 player in the nation by 247Sports Composite.

“I see an offense that’s determined,” said Haynes. “Determined to prove a point. An offense that’s going to be very explosive. An offense that will be balanced and capable of doing a lot of things, you know. We’re capable of doing a lot of things. We’re going to be complete and explosive. We’re going to make some noise.

“We pride ourselves on running the ball and stopping the run. And passing the ball downfield is also a great element. We’re going to be able to do that. We’re confident in each other.”

Marshall said the return of a deep passing game threat will be important to the run game.

“To be able to unload that box a little bit and help us backs is going to be amazing,” he said. “I’m excited.”