As Michigan football prepares for its spring game Saturday, the battle for starting quarterback continues in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines must replace arguably the best quarterback to ever come through the program in projected first-round NFL Draft pick J.J. McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national title in 2023. There are several reserve quarterbacks from that championship team vying for the starting job in 2024 with Jayden Denegal, Alex Orji and veteran Jack Tuttle competing this spring.
Orji served as the backup to McCarthy last season, appearing in six games exclusively as a runner. He attempted just one pass in two years at Michigan. Still, the junior quarterback appears to be the front-runner heading into the spring game this weekend.
“It looks like Alex Orji right now,” The Michigan Insider publisher Sam Webb said Tuesday on 247Sports’ Transfer Portal Palooza. “I think it’s very much a competition. You got Alex Orji in the mix as a dual-threat quarterback, a guy who cerebrally I think is very similar to J.J., but is not the same skill set. I mean, you’re talking about a guy who is 235 pounds, a legit 4.5 guy that is going to be able to get you some of that production on the ground that J.J. was capable of, but you didn’t emphasize it as much because J.J. was 200 pounds, right? He was definitely more of a pocket guy than an Alex Orji is going to be.”
Michigan must also replace its entire starting offensive line from last season and returns just one starter on that side of the ball — tight end Colton Loveland. Having a dual-threat option at quarterback could be beneficial for the Wolverines as they move on from McCarthy under new head coach Sherrone Moore.
“There’s probably gonna be a need for a guy with some more movement back there, which is why Alex Orji, I think, is beating the pack at this point,” Webb said. “That’s not to say that he can’t do a lot of the throw things they’re gonna do. I think you’re gonna see aspects of the offense have a different emphasis. So they had QB counter in there, a lot of the QB run stuff in there with J.J., didn’t call it as much. You’re gonna call it more with Alex Orji if he’s the guy. I think the read progressions will be different. J.J. had a lot of whole-field reads in his arsenal. This one, if it’s Alex Orji is probably one, two then run kind of deal. But he has to win it. He has to hold off a Jayden Denegal, he has to hold off a guy like Jack Tuttle, who has started games at the college football level and is nursing some injuries right now, but will be in the mix when the fall rolls around.”
Orji completed his only pass at Michigan for a 5-yard gain during the 2022 season. He also has 21 career carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns. A former three-star recruit, Orji ranked as the No. 50 quarterback in the 2022 class.
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The Wolverines’ spring game is set for Saturday at noon ET inside Michigan Stadium.
