Michigan football quarterback Alex Orji is the new sheriff in town for the Wolverines. He is called upon to lead the program following the national championship season the team had last year. Orji is opening up about how he's had doubts in the past about his ability.
“My athleticism was something that at times I felt like I had to shy away from just to prove that I was a quarterback, because in high school, and still since then, there have been plenty of times where people have said because of my body type or my athleticism or my speed or whatever it is, that I wasn't able to play quarterback at a high level,” Orji said, per 247 Sports.
Orji isn't shying away from anything now. The young gunslinger is preparing to lead a Michigan football program in 2024 that has made the last three College Football Playoff events.
Michigan football's 2024 season outlook
Michigan football is undergoing a lot of change. Jim Harbaugh is no longer the coach; Sherrone Moore now leads the Wolverines. The cloud of an NCAA investigation also hangs over the program, as the Wolverines received a notice of violations stemming from the sign-stealing scandal a season ago. Moore faces allegations of violations, as does Harbaugh.
Orji is tasked with helping Michigan football ignore the distractions and win games. The young quarterback has completed just one pass in the previous two seasons. He also has just one pass attempt. The quarterback will definitely have some pressure on his shoulders as he leads this Wolverines team.
The quarterback must earn the starting job, but it looks likely that he will get a shot to be the team's primary play caller. Orji says it was former Coach Harbaugh who kept him going through the last two seasons.
“It was always the fact that Coach Harbaugh was continually reaching out and letting me know how he felt about me, what he thought down to the very end of the recruiting process,” Orji added. “And then all the way till — I mean, I still text him. And so it's just nice to have someone that believed in me and always had that confidence.”
The Big Ten conference is getting even harder this season, with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington entering the league. The Wolverines play a difficult schedule. Michigan has matchups with Ohio State, Oregon and USC. The team also plays Texas in its out of conference schedule, which will be an early test for Moore's new-look Wolverines.
Michigan football opens its season on August 31 against Fresno State.
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