The 2024 Spring Game was our first glance at the Michigan football roster for the 2024 season. The Spring Game honestly didn't show us much; the stars played one or two possessions and sat out the rest of the game, allowing the backups to get some quality reps. However, there was one big thing on display at the Spring Game: the quarterback battle.
While Jack Tuttle was kept out of the game due to injury, we saw the other quarterbacks on the roster duking it out, trying to solidify themselves as the starting quarterback. The competition appears to be down to two: Alex Orji and Davis Warren.
At this point, it appears that Michigan is going to stick with what they have. While they could look for a backup in the portal, it seems very unlikely that Michigan fooball is going to find a starter in the portal. Now, that could change if an unforeseen player enters the portal, but that seems doubtful at this point.
So, who will be the starter? My money is on Alex Orji. Yes, Davis Warren played a great Spring Game. He also did that last year, and was nowhere near the top of the depth chart. Warren is definitely a more accurate passer at this point, but there's no denying the potential of Alex Orji.
While Orji struggled to make the challenging throws on Saturday, he didn't have any terrible misses. Likewise, he wasn't even able to display his biggest advantage, his physicality and running ability. Stopping play when the quarterback is touched is incredibly unfair to Alex Orji, since he's going to break a lot of tackles.
For example, the final drive for the blue team. On that fourth down that was ruled a sack since Orji was touched, I don't think anyone actually thinks he would've gone down in that situation. It would have been a touchdown. Even with the rules, Orji still had a nice 18 yard rushing touchdown on the first drive of the game.
Orji has the arm talent to throw the ball anywhere on the field, it's just about refining his accuracy and mechanics at this point. But it's clear that he has Jalen Milroe esque potential. And with what should be a top defense in the nation combined with a great running back room, Orji will have the team around him to succeed.
Yes, teams will likely stack the box against Michigan (as they have the past three years). So Orji will have to make throws to win games. But in football, there are things you can teach, and things you can't teach. You can teach accuracy. You can't teach the physical advantages that Alex Orji has.
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To me, the question is how badly does Alex Orji want to succeed. If he is willing to devote these next few months to becoming the best passer he can be, there's no doubt in my mind that Michigan will have tons of success. This is a squad that can repeat as Big Ten Champions and compete for a national championship. Alex Orji will be QB1.
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