The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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40 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Junior Alex Orji, graduate Jack Tuttle and senior Davis Warren appear to be the top contenders for the starting quarterback job. Will Michigan be good enough behind center? Bender: Orji and Warren had their moments in the spring game, and Tuttle has the experience of being a backup. Whoever wins this job will be asked to do more than J.J. McCarthy, who was a first-round pick. According to Pro Foot- ball Focus, McCarthy was 25 of 46 (54.3 percent) with 10 TDs and 1 interception on throws of 20 yards or more. Will his replacement be able to replicate that ef- ficiency with new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell? Orji likely gets the start because of the added running threat, and we will find out in September — likely against Texas — if any of these QBs have the clutch gene in the fourth quarter of tight games. Fornelli: I don't know! That's the mil- lion dollar question heading into 2024. I'm not in the facility every day, or at practice, so I don't know what the Wol- verines really have at the position. All I know about Alex Orji is a scouting re- port and what I've seen from him on the field, and his time on the field doesn't involve much passing. The one thing I look at to get a sense of how the staff feels is I believed Michigan would be active in the portal looking for a QB. The fact they showed no interest in doing so implies they're confident in what they have in the room. Lassan: When you compare Michi- gan's quarterback situation to the other Big Ten title contenders in Oregon and Ohio State, it's clear the Wolverines lag a bit in this area right now. However, I don't necessarily think Moore's team needs an All-Big Ten quarterback to win the conference crown again. With a de- fense that's capable of winning games, along with a ground game that should be the strength of the offense, Michigan just needs someone who can make a few timely plays through the air and limit the mistakes. Staples: That remains to be seen. Af- ter watching Jalen Milroe at Alabama last year, it seems like there is a real path to building a successful offense around Orji. A twitchy athlete with a huge arm is ex- actly what Milroe is, and if you can pair that with an effective non-QB run game, defenses are going to have to leave some opportunities for you in the pass game just because the run game presents so many dangerous options. What do you expect out of the Michigan offense this fall? Bender: Corum and McCarthy ac- counted for 75 percent of Michigan's 40 rushing TDs last season. [Senior] Dono- van Edwards, [graduate] Kalel Mullings and [senior] Tavierre Dunlap — who was a standout in the spring game — will be more of a committee in the backfield, and Orji can add to that. It will still be a run-heavy attack, and they need a few receivers to step up. [Sophomore] Semaj Morgan, [junior] Tyler Morris and [soph- omore] Fredrick Moore are another com- mittee of sorts, and it does not hurt to have the best tight end in the country in [junior] Colston Loveland. The offensive line will be rebuilt but trust the develop- ment with Moore. This could be closer to the 2021 version of the offense, which averaged 35.8 points per game, especially if Edwards can play the part of Hassan Haskins. Fornelli: I called Michigan's offensive philosophy "Third and J.J." last season. The plan seemed to be to run the ball on first and second down, then let J.J. convert the third-and-5 or longer. Obvi- ously that plan will need to be adjusted in 2024! I don't think the offense's identity will be much different than what we've seen the last few years, but with so many key parts having left, it's safe to assume things won't operate as smoothly. Lassan: I expect this group will have some growing pains or at least start slowly in the 2024 season. With five new starters along the offensive line, the need for a No. 1 wide receiver to emerge after the departure of Roman Wilson, and a first-time starter at quarterback, it will take some time for the Wolverines to Junior Alex Orji is one of the top contenders to take over at quarterback for U-M, with one panelist compar- ing him to Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN