The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 was reported earlier this spring that Warren threw the best ball of the bunch and had been making significant strides. On April 20, though, offensive coordina- tor and quarterbacks coach Kirk Camp- bell said it, too, citing Warren's knowl- edge of the offense and improvement as one of the reasons for optimism. Campbell meant it when he said they were probably going to roll with the quar- terback group they have now rather than explore the portal, and Warren and Co. showed there's at least that potential. "We have a lot of people talk about our defense, and our defense is incred- ible," Warren said after completing 6 of 9 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. "It's the best. Iron sharpens iron. "It's the best thing to go up against them every single day and find a way to win and move the ball, convert on third down, score in the red zone. "It's really been a great spring for us finding who we are. … Everyone is just taking a step up, whether it's Coach Moore, Coach Campbell, Coach [Grant] Newsome, and a ton of players on offense who are going to that next level, and the same thing applies to me. "We're just trying to look at what hap- pened last year. The blueprint is there. Just emulate it and try to take it to a whole other level. It's been really good." At times, anyway. There's still plenty to prove, and it's hard to tell much from a spring game. It can be fool's gold. Noth- ing is usually as good or bad as it seems — but there were positives, and Warren was one of them. His pocket presence, for one, stood out among the other contenders. He's got a great arm and is the most consistent passer of the bunch. Some will point to struggles in limited game situations last year, but that would really be the excep- tion in his career. Orji, meanwhile, showed flashes, but there's still a long way to go when it comes to being more than a great ath- lete playing quarterback. As one observer said, "He needs to learn how to throw in levels and over people, not just through windows." But again, there were some positive signs. "Today, Coach Newsome let me know the whole playbook is open," Orji said after the spring game. "Coach Camp- bell has really helped me a lot with being comfortable in certain situations. … I think it always comes with reps." There are still months to go before the season begins, and all the quarterbacks will have an opportunity to show what they can do. But two things seem clear here — Warren is a viable option, and the room is as strong as it's been. Some guys in the past reacted poorly when they lost the job, but J.J. McCarthy helped change the vibe in the room. These guys do everything together and really seem to like each other, so whoever wins the job will have the support of his teammates. "We're a real tight family, the quar- terback group," Orji said. "I think it was awesome to get us out there and rolling, get our drives put together. It was awesome for our room. It's a tes- tament to Coach Campbell and how he prepares us." Moore called it "super competitive," adding it would be a while before he named a starter for the Aug. 31 opener with Fresno State. "Ideally, I'd like to know now, but that's not going to happen," he said, not- ing that grad student Jack Tuttle (injured this spring) could also factor in. "Proba- bly sometime during fall camp we'll have a couple of scrimmages and put them in those situations, see who manages the team best and go from there." OFFENSE IS COMING TOGETHER Whoever wins the job will have tal- ent around him, but also a complete re- build of the offense. There will be five new starters on the offensive line, two new receivers, and no Blake Corum in the backfield. There is Donovan Edwards, though, and he had an outstanding spring. The Senior quarterback Davis Warren completed 6 of 9 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Maize team to a 17-7 win against the Blue squad in the spring game April 20. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN