The Michigan football team has been fortunate to have JJ McCarthy as their quarterback for the last two seasons as he helped lead the team to all kinds of success. Now, McCarthy is heading to the NFL, and he is going to hear his name called early on in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. So, the Wolverines need a new starting quarterback.
Michigan football had their spring game last Saturday and the QB competition is a loaded one. Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal, Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren and Jaydn Davis are all fighting for the starting job, and the competition will likely last long into the offseason.
We got to see four of those guys get reps on Saturday as everyone suited up except for Jack Tuttle who is dealing with an injury. Alex Orji is expected to win the starting job after getting some good reps in meaningful moments last season, and it sounds like the QB competition is going well for Michigan so far.
“I would say that we all started right here (hand near his chest) and we’ve all just kept rising,” Orji told the media after the spring game. “I think as a QB group we’ve all taken the necessary steps to put ourselves in a position to be in position. Between me and Jaydn [Davis], Jayden [Denegal] to Davis [Warren] to [Jack] Tuttle, we’ve all done things this spring that have been really good. I think the main thing is that whenever we make a mistake, we’re learning from someone else.”
Orji noted multiple times that the QB room is a very tight group and they want the best for each other and the team. It seems like an unselfish group, and they are learning from each other.
The culture at Michigan doesn’t seem to be changing
When JJ McCarthy was the QB for the Michigan football team, he constantly gave credit to his teammates and did whatever the team needed to get wins. The Wolverines have always had a culture that is built around the team, and based on what Alex Orji said, it doesn’t sound like that is changing.
“I was just saying to the other guys that it’s just one of 15 practices and it was pretty on par with how we are,” Orji said. “Mistakes are gonna get made here and there. It was a little more competitive with the whole maize and blue setup of it, but I think it was awesome, especially from the boys in white (the quarterbacks) today. We’re a real tight family, the QB group, so I think it was awesome to get me, Jadyn [Davis], Jayden [Denegal] and Davis [Warren] out there just rolling, get full drives put together, so I think it’s awesome for our room, and it’s a testament to coach Campbell about how much he prepares us.”
It’s not surprising to see the team-first mentality that these QBs possess. New head coach Sherrone Moore worked with Jim Harbaugh for a long time, and the culture that he built in Ann Arbor isn’t going to change.
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