The Ohio State football program prides itself on getting the best talent in the state of Ohio to stay there. While they have a national recruiting footprint, they love keeping kids home. It's partially why they are close to having a top-five recruiting class for 2026.
Michigan running back Jordan Marshall was recruited heavily by both the Ohio State Buckeyes and TTUN when he was coming out of high school. Back when that battle happened, Tony Alford was still with the Buckeyes. He was almost able to get Marshall to pick Ohio State.
Ahead of the Ohio State vs Michigan game, Marshall revealed why he chose the Wolverines over the Buckeyes. In doing so, he seemed to take a pretty big shot at Ryan Day in his answer, which should provide even more fuel to the fire this weekend when these two teams play.
Jordan Marshall takes a shot at Ohio State head coach Ryan Day
While speaking to the media, Marshall elaborated on why he picked TTUN.
Jordan Marshall, The 2023 Mr. Ohio Winner, on why he chose the University of Michigan over Ohio State 〽️ #GoBlue #BeatOhio pic.twitter.com/EAKLoqy8Pb
— Michigan Football on UMGoBlue (@UMGoBlog) November 26, 2025
"I really liked Tony Alford. He would probably be one of the reasons why I went there. I didn't like a few other people, and that's truly why I didn't pick there. And I think Coach Alford would tell you the same. He came here, and he sees the different...the best head coach in the Big Ten and college football, and how he carries himself and how he puts himself over the team, and it's all about culture, and that's what I wanted to be around."
This is the part that he really seems to dig into Day.
"I didn't want to be around people that were about themselves, and I truly believe that's why Coach Alford came here too, is he wanted to be around better people."
Marshall claims that the guy who got in trouble for helping TTUN cheat is a better person than the guy who advocates for children's mental health. Day has shown himself to be vulnerable when talking to the media about what happened to his dad when he talks about his own charity.
Meanwhile, Sherrone Moore cries that he has to be held accountable for the largest cheating scandal in the history of college football. If that's what Marshall considers integrity, then it's a really good thing he never ended up in Columbus. The Buckeyes are far better off without him.
The Buckeyes definitely heard this, and they are going to have something extra for Marshall on Saturday afternoon.