The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 49 [ Q U A R T E R B A C K S ] "I absolutely love Kirk," McCarthy said." It's not just the fact that he's a wizard in the pass game and with developing quarterbacks — it's also because he's a great friend, a great brother. "When you can have that rela- tionship with the coach, they can push through so many limitations and e x c e e d e x p e c t a t i o n s with my growth and his. We feed off each other. It's really special, and I'm just extremely grateful to have him here." The Battle For No. 2 B e h i n d M c - Carthy are a hand- ful of players who have promise, but only one with significant game experience. Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle battled in- juries in Bloomington and wasn't the full-time starter in any of his years, but he was a valuable backup for the Hoosiers and could be for Michigan, too. He played in one game last sea- son, completing 9 of 12 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty of a blowout loss to Penn State, but he has Big Ten experience. Tuttle went 6-for-12 passing for 57 yards with 1 interception and a fumble in the Michigan spring game. He ran 8 times for 32 yards (not in- cluding sacks), though, in showing his versatility. Warren didn't have quite the spring game he did a year earlier when he looked the part of a poten- tial future starter. Like Tuttle, he also threw a bad pick, but he still com- pleted 8 of 13 passes for 163 yards with several nice throws. Sophomore Jayden Denegal im- proved a lot in the spring, Harbaugh said, and is added depth for now. Of all of them, sophomore Alex Orji, used at times in the wildcat for- PRESEASON ANALYSIS STARTER ★★★★★ Junior J.J. McCarthy led Michigan to a 13-1 season in his first year as a starter, and there's still plenty of room for growth. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said he'd like more of a 50-50 split between run and pass this year, and he's got the quarterback to do it. McCarthy did a good job protecting the ball most of the season (minus the Fiesta Bowl loss to TCU in which he threw two pick sixes) … they'll likely ask him to do more this year with both his arm and his feet. DEPTH ★★★ There are a lot of bodies here, but none of them are really proven. Junior Davis Warren has shown flashes in spring games (and in mop-up duty against Hawaii) and can make all the throws. Indiana grad transfer Jack Tuttle has some Big Ten experience, but he was a backup at IU and didn't play a ton. We love Alex Orji's upside, but he's a sophomore with little game experience. Bottom line: There's a huge drop-off be- tween McCarthy and the rest. OVERALL ★★★★ McCarthy is arguably the most impor- tant player on this year's team from a health standpoint. There's talented depth at every other position, and while there is true upside in those behind McCarthy, this isn't like past years in which there wasn't much difference between No. 1 and No. 2. There's no quarterback con- troversy this season — it's J.J. McCarthy's team, and he enters the season as the best in the Big Ten. [ Q U A R T E R B A C K S ] THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 49 QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Kirk Campbell (First year coaching quarterbacks, second overall at U-M) Returning Starters: J.J. McCarthy (13 career starts) Departing Starters: Cade McNamara (17) Projected New Starter: N/A Top Reserves: Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle, Alex Orji Wait Until 2024: Jayden Denegal Newcomers: Kendrick Bell Moved In: Tuttle Moved Out: McNamara, Alan Bowman Rookie Impact: N/A Most Improved Player: McCarthy Best Pro Prospect: McCarthy Junior Davis Warren saw limited action in five games last season, complet- ing 5 of 9 passes for 89 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ Junior J.J. McCarthy became the winningest U-M signal-caller without a loss to start a career by winning his first 12 starts under center, breaking the record previously set by Dennis Franklin in 1971, who was victorious in his first 10 starts. McCarthy's 2,719 yards passing were the eighth- most in a single season at U-M, while his 22 touchdown passes in 2022 are tied for No. 6 with Chad Henne (2006) and Shea Patterson (2018). John Navarre stands alone at the top of U-M's single-season passing chart, throwing for 3,331 yards in 2003. Elvis Grbac (1991) and Henne (2004) are tied for first in program history with 25 touchdown passes in a single season. ❱ McCarthy was elite in play-action situations last season, grading out at 92.8 in that category by Pro Football Focus. He completed 55 of 80 passes (68.8 percent) for 1,111 yards with 9 touch- downs and an interception out of play-action concepts. Deep balls were a concern on film last year, but PFF graded him at 90.7 on passes of 20 yards or more, completing 22 of 56 long balls for 801 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. ❱ Lindy's Sports ranked McCarthy No. 7 in its QB rankings and No. 8 on its Heisman watch list, saying: "Athletic and tough, but will have to share the credit with Michigan's talented running backs." ❱ Graduate student Jack Tuttle (Indiana) is the fifth transfer quarterback brought into U-M since the 2015 season, joining Jake Rudock (Iowa), John O'Korn (Houston), Shea Patterson (Ole Miss) and Alan Bowman (Texas Tech). He is expected to compete for the backup quarterback job with junior Davis Warren in fall camp. [ F Y I ]