Chicago to Bowling Green pipeline: The DeGraff family - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Hailing from Naperville, Illinois, freshman goalkeeper Marshall DeGraff became the second goalkeeper from the Chicago-based DeGraff family to commit to the Falcons. Now, DeGraff joins the Bowling Green men's soccer team for the 2026-27 season with hopes of building on his uncle's legacy.

For most recruits, the team might only have one point of contact with a high school or club coach. That was the opposite case with DeGraff, as Marshall's uncle, David DeGraff, provided the strongest connection between Marshall and the recruiting staff at Bowling Green.

David was a four-year starter for the Falcons from 2000 to 2003 and sits third all-time in saves. According to Marshall, extending his uncle's legacy was something especially important to him.

"Bowling Green has been a part of my family my whole life, obviously, my uncle going there," Marshall said. "When I came here, just trying to build off his legacy is something that's super special to me and something that I'm looking to carry forward."

Marshall committed to Bowling Green near the end of his senior year in 2025, becoming the newest member of the DeGraff family to commit to the Falcons.

"I've always known a little bit about Bowling Green, and when I came here on my visit, it was just super clear that this is the place I was meant to be at," Marshall said. "Just the team environment, how close everyone is, and the competition aspect is huge for me and a huge reason of why I decided to come here."

Despite the family connection, Bowling Green kept an eye on Marshall since he was young. This is partly due to men's soccer alumnus Brett Strang, who oversees the Galaxy Soccer Club that Marshall played for growing up.

"We started hearing about Marshall when he was young," head coach Eric Nichols said. "We have some connections in his area, watched him from afar, and clearly he was someone that we were going to be really excited about."

Marshall earned his spot at BGSU through more than family ties. The coaches knew Marshall for his athletic ability and how he handles himself on the field.

"He's extremely athletic. You look at the pitch, and he stands out just for how he is physically," assistant coach Gonzalo Carranza said. "His distribution is quite high level. We think that Marshall has that in his game, and it's something that we want to use as well."

Despite being athletically gifted and towering over many players on the field at 6-foot-3, Marshall's soccer skills weren't the only aspect drawing scouts to him growing up.

"He sets the highest standards the way he goes about his business, his discipline, his focus, in class, the way he works out, the way he trains, just the way he carries himself is the highest standards," Nichols said.

The entire coaching staff echoed those feelings about Marshall and according to Carranza, Marshall is on the path to becoming an important presence on the team.

"I think we look for people exactly like Marshall, a well-rounded human being and comes from a great family," Carranza said. "He's learning what it takes to be a Falcon, and he's on the right track. He just adds to our program, and he'll be a massive positive influence as an ambassador."

Before Bowling Green, Marshall played for Plainfield Central High School while starting for the Galaxy Soccer Club. He captained his high school team in his last two years of school, guiding them to a 35-10-4 record while winning conference MVP awards each year.

In his last season, he saved 128 shots through 25 games and added 10 shutouts. Marshall stopped 5 shots per game and saved a penalty in his last high school match in a 3-1 loss.

That year, Gatorade named Marshall their player of the year for the state of Illinois. He was the first goalkeeper to win the award since 2017-18.

"It was a super special award to both me and my coaches and my team at my high school," Marshall said. "It was just a testament to all the work that we put in as a group and that I put in, and it was good to get that recognition at the end of the year."

The Gatorade Player of the Year award winners list for Illinois includes notable talents alongside Marshall. One is Chase Adams, who won the award in the 2022-23 season and now plays in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the Columbus Crew.

In his first year with the team, Marshall hasn't seen any playing time but has taken the opportunity to connect with his teammates, including playing team-building games with both the men's and women's soccer programs.

"It's been great. The competition's been really good. I feel like I'm really progressing as a player, and just getting to know the guys and really make connections with everyone is really special," Marshall said.

For the first time in his career, Marshall isn't the starting goalkeeper and instead is sitting on the bench. He sits behind three seniors currently, Enzo Gil, Jason Ball and Will Schutte.

"He's in a great situation right now. I know he wants to play, but he's in a great place to get cultivated and learn," Nichols said. "Jack's [Bennett] done an incredible job with the goalkeeper corps … and he's getting better every day. He'll be ready; once he gets to the field, he'll be ready."

Carranza said Gil, as one of those senior goalkeepers, helped Marshall transition to the Division I level.

"I think that Enzo's putting him under his wing and teaching him everything he possibly can, and the future is bright for Marshall here," Carranza said.

Although Marshall may not see the field this year, with time and the graduation of three senior goalkeepers, it seems likely Marshall will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself in the future.

"Now it's just about him being patient and understanding that his moment will come," Carranza said.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Jason Ball

Marshall DeGraff

Enzo Gil

Will Schutte