The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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QUARTERBACKS 46 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Many like what they see from Orji, who got the lion's share of the spring game ac- tion for the Blue squad. Orji went 13-for- 18 for 103 yards, missing badly on a couple of passes and appearing to still need work on his touch. That said, he's arguably the most dynamic of Michigan's serious contenders for quarterback, scrambling 5 times in the game, including an 18-yard touchdown run. Orji became McCarthy's fill-in during the national championship season. He rushed 15 times for 86 yards and a touch- down, including 2 carries for 15 yards against Washington in the national cham- pionship game. Some have suggested he could be a quarterback on the order of Alabama's Jalen Milroe for the Wolverines, and he'll certainly remain in the thick of the battle for the top spot. "Alex has been much better of a passer. He had a couple [in the spring game] he would probably like back, but you can see he can throw the football," Campbell stressed. If Orji and the others aren't McCarthy reincarnated — and nobody's expecting they will be — it doesn't torpedo the sea- son by any means, Karsch pointed out. "There's a tendency to say, 'This player can't do this, so you can't possibly win.' What matters most is, can a defense stop you at what you want to do, and what you are capable of doing? "If Alex Orji never proves that he can throw it downfield, what problems does he present an opposing defensive coordi- nator? If you're a good enough improviser and runner, and you're good enough in the short game, and you turn out to be great in some of those things — you don't check all the boxes, but you check enough to make it hard for a defense to stop you. You couple that with a great defense, and that can be a formula to win big." ❑ Looking To Take Charge Michigan's quarterback candidates bring a mixture of skills to the table. Of those making a run at the starting job, one runs better than the rest. Junior Alex Orji carries the most potent rushing abilities of any QB on the roster, a skill showcased even in a national championship season featuring a top-10 NFL Draft pick behind center. Orji subbed in for J.J. McCarthy in six games last season, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He didn't throw a pass in his appearances, but he did toss a team-high 18 in the spring game, completing 13 for 103 yards and adding a rushing touchdown. The junior threw himself into the task of getting better throughout spring ball, often with extensive input from Michigan quarterbacks coach and first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. Campbell isn't ready to name the starter at the coveted position, but he's willing at any time to provide a boost for those seeking to get better. "He's a great role model for us," Orji said. "He's always available for us to talk to him. Jayden Denegal and I live together. We're always talking. We've got a white board, and we're writing stuff on it all the time. "We can call Coach Kirk as late as 11 o'clock, or whenever, really. He's always helping us out with, not necessarily physical reps, but mental reps, feeling different stuff out. That's the biggest thing. "It's just being able to be a sponge. You can absorb stuff, and you can also squeeze it out, and dish it out to other people." All of Michigan's quarterbacks are looking to separate themselves as The One — through spring, summer and into the fall. Orji remained diplomatic when asked about his take on his personal progress in that area. "We all started right here, and we just kept rising as a group," he said. "We've all taken the necessary steps to put ourselves in position to be the starter. … We've all done things this spring that have been really good. Whenever we make a mistake, we're learning from somebody else's or we're learning from our own." There's no question about how badly he wants the job, like anyone else who puts himself into that posi- tion. Orji got a taste of some action in crucial contests last year, drawing a couple of carries in the scintillating showdown against Alabama in the Rose Bowl and two more in the national title contest against Washington. He obviously wants more, and at the same time, stands cognizant of the team emphasis. "I'm hungry for a new rep every day," he said. "Whenever Jadyn Davis and I are on the same team, I'm hungry for him to get reps, those in-game live reps of just playing football. "Whatever goes down on Saturdays, whatever 11 take the field, I want to make sure I'm doing whatever I can to be unselfish in my pursuit of excellence to make the whole team great." Orji hears the talk. He's well aware that McCarthy's gone, as well as the 2023 starting offensive line, not to mention Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson and more. "We've got a bunch of gritty guys who are willing to work hard and do whatever it takes," Orji said with conviction. "The thing about Michigan football is, we're going to lose guys every year. That's the type of program we are. We're a great program that's going to put guys in the league. So, we're always going to lose guys. But we're going to have the necessary pieces to step back up and rebuild, reload and get to firing on all cylinders. "The guys that go to the league, they're prepping the guys who are younger, getting us ready. That's the way we do things. Between Coach [Jim] Har- baugh and Coach [Sherrone] Moore, one thing they do focus on whenever we have the time in practice is getting the younger guys ready to take reps. "It's not always getting the guys ready for next season. They could be getting ready for this com- ing season. We stay ready, so we don't have to get ready." — John Borton ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR A two-quarterback system looms as a possibility for Michigan in 2024, with the Wolverines set to replace J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 overall draft choice who won 27 of 28 games as a college starter. If the Maize and Blue do go that route, junior ALEX ORJI is almost certainly going to be one of the two, given he has a different skill set than the others. At 6-foot-3, 236 pounds, Orji has completed fewer career passes than senior running back Donovan Edwards (3) and just as many as graduate run- ning back Kalel Mullings (1). He has shined as a runner, though, carrying 21 times for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Junior Alex Orji has carried 21 times for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first two seasons with Michigan. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN