The Michigan football team has been fortunate to have elite quarterback play the past few years as JJ McCarthy more than delivered on all of his promises. He led the Wolverines to multiple Big Ten championships, multiple College Football Playoff appearances and most importantly, a national championship. Now, Michigan has to choose his replacement, and it won’t be easy.
Fall camp is well underway, and the Michigan football team has a quarterback competition on their hands. The QB room consists of Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis. Orji, Tuttle and Davis are the realistic options for the Wolverines. Let’s take a quick look at all three of those guys.
Alex Orji
Heading into the offseason, most people assumed that Alex Orji was going to win the starting QB job. That is still the assumption by most, but there is certainly a competition happening. Orji got meaningful snaps last year against Ohio State and in the College Football Playoff, but it was because of his running ability.
The big question mark surrounding Orji is his ability in the passing game. Right now, the coaches and players are really the only ones who know how he has looked in that regard. Orji was a runner in games last year and the only glimpse that fans have seen of him otherwise was in the spring game.
Orji is an athletic freak which certainly gives him an edge, but if he is struggling in the passing game, that opens the door for others. Regardless of what happens with the QB competition, Orji will get worked into the game one way or another.
Jack Tuttle
Jack Tuttle hasn’t taken a lot of meaningful snaps since transferring to Michigan from Indiana, but he gained a lot of good experience with the Hoosiers. Tuttle doesn’t have the athleticism and the running ability that Orji has, but there is a chance that his passing ability is better, and the experience that he has could be more valuable as he taken more consistent snaps as a college QB.
Davis Warren
Davis Warren is certainly the least experienced of the three, but he has been the star of the last two Michigan football spring games. He has a lot of arm talent and he made some impressive deep throws during each of those last two Maize vs. Blue battles. His teammates have raved about his passing ability, so it sounds like he is very much in mix in terms of this QB competition.
Predicted winner: Jack Tuttle
![Michigan Wolverines quarterback Jack Tuttle (13) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium.](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jack-Tuttle.jpg)
Most people are expecting Alex Orji to win the QB competition, but the pick here is Jack Tuttle. If Orji’s passing game was as good as it needed to be, there probably wouldn’t be much of a competition happening based on how good he is in the run game and how athletic he is. Because of that, it seems like Tuttle and Warren are probably showcasing better arm talent. Tuttle is the experienced guy, so the nod goes to him.
At this point, it wouldn’t really be surprising to see any of these guys win the QB battle. It’s going to be exciting to see who takes the first snap in week one against Fresno State. Whoever wins the job will have an immediate tough test in week two against Texas, and the Bulldogs will present a tricky challenge in week one as well.