The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan's rising junior quarterback Davis Warren would have been a high- major recruit had he not battled leuke- mia in high school. That set him back, but he made a full recovery and earned a walk-on spot at U-M. He was recently placed on scholarship, and he'll likely enter the 2023 season as the team's backup QB behind J.J. McCarthy. Warren talked about his role, why he's stayed at Michigan and more in this Q&A: The Wolverine: You've obviously been through a lot with your illness in high school. How long did it set you back, and do you feel like you still have some- thing to prove? Davis Warren: "I was out for eight months, but it took me a year or two to recover. I do have a chip. I wasn't highly recruited. I see highly recruited guys coming in here, and to me, I just want to prove to myself that I'm not a walk- on and not viewed as a walk-on every single day. "I definitely have a chip on my shoul- der, but I don't let that affect how I play my game or [not] do things the right way." The Wolverine: How often to you look back on your journey and what you've overcome? Warren: "I think about it at times. Like I told someone else, I don't dwell on it. I've met kids with similar experiences to mine and even adults, people reaching out trying to just get some advice. That really puts it in perspective for me … how far I've come and how special it really is." The Wolverine: You looked the part in the spring game and your coaches rave about you. Some have suggested you could start immediately at another high major school. Why have you stuck it out? Warren: "I want to be here. I want to be at Michigan. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh … gave me an opportunity to come here and play, and I don't take that for granted. I really didn't have a lot of other opportunities, so I believe very strongly in being loyal to this program." The Wolverine: What are your goals while you battle for time behind J.J. Mc- Carthy? Warren: "I'll get a great education and I'll learn a lot, and I know my opportu- nity is going to come. I'm just going to be patient and learn as much as I can. Things can change — things can hap- pen — but I believe very strongly in this program and being loyal to these guys." The Wolverine: Where do you feel you've improved since you've arrived in Ann Arbor? Warren: "I'm just excited to keep grow- ing and getting better. Just confidence- wise, I've been able to prove to myself every single day that I can play at this level. Coach Harbaugh has a ton of confidence in me to be able to go in and get the job done if need be. That confidence has helped a lot. "On the field itself, I'm understanding defenses better, how the game works. The detail is at a different level, why every- thing happens … I feel like I'm making progress." — Chris Balas Warren, who was recently placed on scholar- ship, will likely enter the season as U-M's primary backup at quarterback. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Michigan's men's basketball team got behind the curve in the NCAA Tour- nament race with five nonconference losses, including a Dec. 29 setback to Central Michigan, which stands as the program's first Quad 4 loss since 2010. The Maize and Blue still have a chance to make their case with big wins down the stretch, though, and earning an automatic bid by winning the Big Ten Tournament (March 8-12 in Chicago) is always a possibility. Michigan has had immense NCAA Tournament success in re- cent years. Since 2013, Michigan has won 23 NCAA Tournament games, made seven Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights and two national title games. Former head coach John Beilein was one of the top tourna- ment coaches in the game, and current head man Juwan How- ard has continued that tradition, with five victories in his two appearances in the Big Dance. Plagued by injuries in 2014-15, Michigan missed the tourna- ment with a 16-16 overall record, after having made the national title game and Elite Eight in the prior two cam- paigns. That puts U-M's active NCAA Tourna- ment streak at six (with the chance to make it seven), which is the seventh- longest in the country. It's also tied for Michigan's longest streak ever (1985- 90). Kansas currently has the most with 32, followed by 24 from Michigan State and 23 by Gonzaga. Only one other team has made double-digit tournaments in a row — North Carolina with 11. Villanova (9) and Purdue (7) are also slotted ahead of Michigan. Michigan is one of just eight squads to have appeared in the last five NCAA Tournaments and one of 12 that have made the last four. Here's a look at the longest active NCAA Tournament win streaks, all eight programs that have made at least five in a row. — Clayton Sayfie MICHIGAN IS LOOKING TO KEEP NCAA TOURNAMENT STREAK ALIVE Sitting Down With Sitting Down With Quarterback Davis Warren School Active NCAA Streak Since Kansas 32 years 1990 Michigan State 24 years 1998 Gonzaga 23 years 1999 North Carolina 11 years 2011 Villanova 9 years 2013 Purdue 7 years 2015 Michigan 6 years 2016 Virginia Tech 5 years 2017