SportsMonday: It’s too late to solve Michigan’s quarterback problem

The Michigan football team’s quarterback competition was the top storyline of the spring. Then, it extended into fall camp. And it was still up in the air the week leading up to the first game of the season.

It seems highly unlikely that the Wolverines’ indecision was caused by both options being too good. As the saying goes, if you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none. 

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore finally announced that senior Davis Warren won the job mere minutes before the Wolverines kicked off against Fresno State after telling the team a few days prior. Warren was serviceable, throwing for 118 yards and a touchdown, but he failed to consistently make plays to power the offense. Junior Alex Orji wasn’t any better as a second option. His designed runs were fine, though entirely predictable, and while he threw one pass for a touchdown, he threw his only other attempt — a simple pass to the flat — into the ground.

If Week 1 was uninspiring, Week 2 was worse. On Saturday, Texas completely exposed Michigan’s quarterback room for what it is: insufficient. Warren couldn’t drive his offense down the field, and the Longhorns were all over Orji’s designed runs. Compare that to Texas star quarterback Quinn Ewers’ performance and it’s obvious why the Wolverines couldn’t compete.

After the game, Moore stuck by Warren and diagnosed many of his struggles as fixable. He didn’t rule out making changes among his offensive personnel, though.

“I don’t want to make a knee jerk reaction and just say something after we haven’t watched the film,” Moore said after getting blown out by the Longhorns. “We’ll watch it, evaluate it, see what we need to do to put the right people in the right places to make us successful.”

Even if Moore watches the film and sees a need for a quarterback change, he probably won’t do it. Because he can’t do it — he doesn’t have enough talent to. 

When Michigan didn’t bring in a transfer quarterback either time the portal was open, it set its ceiling for the season. First the lengthy competition, then the Bulldogs, and finally Texas all lowered that ceiling to a level unbecoming of the defending national champions.

It’s not like the Wolverines didn’t know they’d have to fill a void at quarterback. Although former quarterback J.J. McCarthy remained tight lipped about his future until mid-January, he said enough to suggest his NFL aspirations would likely win out, leaving big shoes to fill.

The winter transfer portal opened on Dec. 4, and reports soon surfaced that Michigan was in talks with former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore. Yes, McCarthy’s plans were uncertain, the Wolverines were facing multiple NCAA investigations and former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was known to flirt with the NFL. But at the same time, the Wolverines were the best team in the country and noted for their ability to develop young players — an enticing fit for any young quarterback looking for a change of pace.

Dante ended up transferring to Oregon, and any other quarterbacks Michigan targeted also went elsewhere. During the spring transfer window, the quarterback market had slim pickings, and the Wolverines claimed they were content with their in-house options.

“That is not part of our thought process right now,” offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell said after the Spring Game. “Roster evaluation is always part of the process. But right now, that’s not something we’re looking at.”

When pressed further, Campbell stuck by his original answer and told reporters to “spin the words however you want.” So here goes.

“Roster evaluation” at any point during the offseason should have shown Michigan that its quarterback room wouldn’t cut it. If the Wolverines tried and failed to get a transfer quarterback — which they reportedly did with Dante Moore — that speaks to the inability of Michigan as a program to land high-end talent.

And if the Wolverines decided they didn’t need a quarterback, that shows damaging complacency. Either way, they created an unsolvable problem.

Maybe they truly expected to be able to develop Orji as a passer to combine with his threat as a runner. Maybe Warren’s play-making ability will improve dramatically with more starts under his belt.

But Warren and Orji should never have been Michigan’s only hope. 

The Wolverines failed to address their glaring issues at the most important position in football. That guaranteed they won’t be anywhere close to competing for another national championship this year.

The post SportsMonday: It’s too late to solve Michigan’s quarterback problem appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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