Just over a month ago, speaking at the Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore gave his first assessment of where the Wolverines’ highly anticipated quarterback battle stood entering fall camp.
“We’ll get a good feel as we go through training camp,” Moore said July 26. “Don’t know what the day is (that we’ll make a decision), don’t know when it’ll be, but you guys will know as soon as we do.”
As of today, if Moore’s statement from a month ago still rings true, the identity of Michigan’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season remains a mystery to those within Schembechler Hall. Speaking to the media Monday, Moore reiterated that a choice has not yet been made and added that it may take up until Saturday — the season opener — for anything to be finalized.
“We’re close,” Moore said. “We’ll figure that out soon though. We’re in a good place. We’ll just see who practices better these next couple of days and then we’ll make a decision. Whether it’s Friday, whether it’s Saturday, we’ll let them know and then everybody will find out at the same time.”
While Moore’s answers did not lend much to speculation or reveal anything new on the skillsets of the frontrunners, he did clarify for the first time that what started as a three way battle for the position has been whittled down to just two. With five days separating the Wolverines from their first contest, Moore alluded to the fact that the competition is now between junior Alex Orji and senior Davis Warren.
Orji, from the perspective of onlookers, entered the competition slated as the frontrunner. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Orji is strong, fast and incredibly athletic. Bits and pieces of these specific traits shone through last year when Orji subbed into games late in the season to handle designed quarterback runs. In those moments, it was Orji’s speed that stood out. What has been less publicly visible is Orji’s passing ability. Having attempted only one pass in his career, that part of his game remains a mystery.
Warren however didn’t enter spring or fall camp as a frontrunner. After a season in which he threw just five passes with no completions and a pick, he appeared to be further down the depth chart than both Orji and graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle. But according to Moore, Warren’s arm strength and accuracy have impressed.
“To know Davis Warren, if you know him on a personal level and what he’s been through, that kid’s a fighter,” Moore said. “So you knew it was not just gonna be given to anybody, so they had to go earn it. And he’s earned the opportunity to compete for it, and that’s what he’s been doing.”
But when it comes to differentiating the two, Moore and his players were careful with their words on Monday, very intentionally not tipping their hand one way or another. Moore and players like senior offensive lineman Gio El-Hadi and senior edge rusher TJ Guy never mentioned or praised one quarterback without doing the same for the other. In fact, El-Hadi took things a step further, stating that it makes no difference to him who plays.
“I feel like they both could play,” El-Hadi said of Orji and Warren. “I can’t really tell you who has had the upper hand or not, but they both have different abilities. They both play their own game their own way, and I trust whoever’s back there. (It makes) no difference. … It does not matter, because at the end of the day we have to protect them.”
And while that sentiment was common on Monday, Moore was willing to admit that the identity of the winner will have some impact on how the offense is run. Taking Orji’s speed into account, Moore did allude to the idea that some packages might be available for him that would be off the table for Warren, and vice-versa.
Though, once again, Moore was careful not to mince his words.
“I think you just have to figure out what (each of) their strengths are, which we’ve done in camp,” Moore said. “So there’s a menu of stuff that we can do with each guy, but it’s not like both of them can’t throw and both of them can’t run. Sso we just do it differently with different guys in the game.”
As the clock ticks down on the offseason, and Michigan inches back toward its goals, the quarterback battle has started to unfold. A battle of three has been trimmed down to just two, but as of Monday, the Wolverines refuse to even hint at the identity of the winner. And even with a game in just five days, it’s clear that Moore feels no rush.
The post Michigan keeps QB battle between Davis Warren and Alex Orji close to the vest appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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