Ann Arbor — Michigan TE Apologizes for Criticizing OC Jason Beck

Michigan tight end Zack Marshall apologized Tuesday for "inappropriate comments" directed at offensive coordinator Jason Beck after a group text attributed to him, criticizing Beck and the Wolverines' offensive scheme, circulated publicly, ESPN reported.

The statement, posted to X, came in the week after Michigan's loss and addressed teammates and coaches directly rather than responding point by point to the leaked messages.

What did Zack Marshall say in his apology?

"Last weekend, in the hours after we lost, I made some inappropriate comments that I regret," Marshall wrote, according to ESPN. "The game is won and lost as a team, and I pointed fingers instead of taking accountability. I let my frustrations speak for me in an emotional moment. I apologize to my teammates and coaches for the unnecessary drama that this has caused."

The tight end did not dispute that the messages were his, framing them instead as a product of frustration in the immediate aftermath of a defeat rather than a considered critique of Beck's playcalling.

When did the leaked texts surface, and what did they target?

ESPN's report ties the controversy to a group text in which messages attributed to Marshall criticized Beck and Michigan's offensive scheme in the hours following last weekend's loss. The outlet did not publish the content of the messages themselves, reporting only that they were leaked and drew public attention to internal friction on the offensive side of the roster.

Quick facts

• Apology posted: Oct. 6, 2026, 2:37 p.m. ET, per ESPN's byline timestamp
• Position: Marshall plays tight end for Michigan
• Target of criticism: offensive coordinator Jason Beck and the offense's scheme

How does this fit into Michigan's week?

The apology landed during a Big Ten news cycle already crowded with coordinator turmoil elsewhere — ESPN's same report notes California stripped its first-year offensive coordinator of playcalling duties and Maryland's conference avoided disciplining game officials or fining its head coach over a separate dispute. Michigan's episode is narrower: a single player's leaked frustration, not a coaching change or program-wide shake-up, based on what ESPN has reported.

What happens next for Marshall and the offense?

ESPN's report does not indicate any disciplinary action against Marshall from the university or coaching staff, nor does it specify whether Beck has publicly responded. The piece is attributed to Adam Rittenberg, a college football reporter who has covered the Big Ten for ESPN since 2008.

Timeline

• Last weekend: Michigan loses; group-text messages attributed to Marshall criticize Beck and the offense in the hours afterward.
• Days following: The texts leak publicly, drawing attention to the dispute.
• Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026: Marshall posts an apology to X, calling his comments "inappropriate" and taking responsibility.

No further statement from Beck, head coach, or the university appears in the sourced reporting as of publication.

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