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No. 9 Michigan’s two-man quarterback battle between Alex Orji and Davis Warren has ended in the most surprising of manners.
Warren, a former walk-on, got the start against Fresno State on Saturday, rendering Orji to the second team.
The burden is heavy as he replaces national champion and first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Michigan has a massive showdown against No. 3 Texas in Week 2. Orji, who played last season in special run packages but has only completed one career pass, had been the consensus pick all offseason to win the job until poor recent play in fall camp, plus Warren surging on his own merit, tipped the scales.
“If you know [Warren] on a personal level and what he’s been through, that kid’s a fighter,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said recently of Warren. “So, you know, it was not just going to be given to anybody. They had to go earn it. And he’s earned the opportunity to compete for it. And that’s what he’s been doing.”
In the days following their national championship, the Wolverines did consider going after a transfer quarterback to replace McCarthy, but timing was not on their side. It would have made the most sense for the program to do so in the winter; the spring transfer portal window featured few starting-caliber quarterbacks whereas four of the preseason AP Top 10 teams will start a transfer quarterback signed during the winter window.
The only problem with that for Michigan? Harbaugh’s flirtation with the NFL. It was hard for Michigan to recruit in general at that time because of the lack of clarity around the program and by the time Harbaugh left for the Chargers Jan. 24, almost every difference-making QB was off the board. Michigan may have explored winter options had the circumstances been different,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/davis-warren-wins-michigan-qb-battle-former-walk-on-outplayed-presumed-starter-alex-orji-in-fall-camp/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2024-09-01 03:50:59
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