The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1451622
2022 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 52 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 BY EJ HOLLAND Alex Orji may end up being the steal of the class for the Wolverines. The On3 Consensus four-star athlete out of Sachse (Texas) High was com- mitted to Virginia Tech for most of the recruiting cycle. However, the Hok- ies parted ways with head coach Justin Fuente about a month before the early signing period. The change opened the door for Michigan to make a late run. The Wol- verines hosted Orji and his family for an official visit on the final weekend before signing day and pressed for the recruit all the way until the end. It wasn't until close to midnight be- fore signing day that Orji was fully on board with flipping his commitment from Virginia Tech to Michigan. "I really didn't make a decision until 12 hours before signing day," Orji said. "It was Tuesday night, and I called the people I felt I needed to call. I talked to my parents about it and prayed on it. I felt like Michigan was the best fit for me." Michigan actually offered Orji in the spring thanks to his family's connec- tion to then-Michigan assistant Mau- rice Linguist, who is a personal friend of Orji's father, Willy. Once Linguist took the head coaching job at Buffalo, Orji canceled his plans to visit U-M and gave Virginia Tech an early pledge. But the Wolverines never stopped re- cruiting him. U-M quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss was relentless in his pursuit of Orji and was a big reason the Wolverines were able to close with him on the eve of sign- ing day. "Coach Weiss was persistent all the way through," Orji said. "He was in con- tact back in March and stayed in contact all the way up to signing day. The whole time I was committed to Virginia Tech, he would reach out and check up on me. It's great to have him and Coach [Jim] Harbaugh in the quarterback room." Orji also fell in love with Michigan on his official visit. The more he learned about the school's rich football tradi- tion and elite-level academics, the more the idea of flipping to the Wolverines became a reality. "I've always preached the blend of elite academics and athletics," Orji said. "You see Aidan Hutchinson, and he's an Academic All-American and a Heis- man finalist. Michigan is second to none when it comes to academics and athlet- ics. I think I'll have the opportunity to be great in whatever I want to do after football." Orji is ranked as the No. 9 athlete na- tionally by On3 and has the potential to play multiple positions thanks to his raw athleticism and 6-2, 226-pound frame. However, Michigan took Orji as a pure quarterback despite already holding a verbal pledge from three-star signal- caller Jayden Denegal. The Wolverines love Orji's upside and Persistence Paid Off With Alex Orji's Late Addition As a senior, Orji, passed for 2,064 yards, ran for 1,187 yards and accounted for 52 touch- downs. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 2022 Projection Orji is a versatile player that could play either side of the ball but will get a fair shot at quarterback first. He has a combination of size and athleticism unlike anyone else in that room. Still has a ways to go in becoming a true quarterback, but U-M made him a priority late in the 2022 cycle and likely has a plan to utilize his athleticism in short-yard- age and goal-line packages early in his career. His biggest upside may be at linebacker or edge.