The No. 18 Michigan Wolverines are making a change at quarterback as head coach Sherrone Moore announced the team is benching Davis Warren in favor of playmaking signal-caller Alex Orji. Michigan will start Orji at quarterback against No. 11 USC in Week 4.
It has been a complicated quarterback battle as Orji was unable to win the job during the offseason. Warren was named the starting quarterback ahead of Week 1 versus Fresno State, with Orji being used for select packages.
Warren was underwhelming in his three starts throwing for 444 yards, 6 interceptions and 2 touchdowns.
Michigan QB Alex Orji Was Named to The Athletic’s ‘Freaks’ List for 2024
This video of Michigan’s 6-3, 238-pound QB Alex Orji picking up popcorn kernels while doing pistol squats atop a wobbly SlackBlock blew my mind. (Notice everyone else doing it “the traditional way” in the UM program.)
The 2024 Freaks List: t.co/mqbSyrAjYs
By comparison, Orji passed for the same number of touchdowns (two) in far more limited snaps than Warren in the opening three contests. Orji was named to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list, the annual installment highlighting the top athletes in college football.
“The 6-3, 238-pound Texan got some action for the national champion Wolverines as an occasional change-of-pace option for their ground attack, carrying the ball 15 times for 86 yards with one touchdown,” Feldman wrote in an August 6, 2024, story titled, “College football Freaks List 2024: Why Nyck Harbor takes No. 1 spot (again) in Bruce Feldman’s rankings.”
“This offseason, Orji ranked No. 1 on the Wolverines’ KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). His time of 2.46-seconds on Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test was No. 1 of all Michigan’s Big Skill group (TE, LB, QB, RB, edge),” Feldman continued.
“Orji, ranked No. 50 on last year’s list, has elite numbers across the board. This summer, he vertical-jumped 41 inches, broad-jumped 10-7, clocked a 6.62 3-cone drill time and ran 4.06 seconds in the pro agility shuttle.”
Michigan’s Sherrone Moore on Benching Davis Warren: ‘Obviously, Got to Perform in the Game’
BREAKING: Alex Orji will start at QB for Michigan this week against USC.
Moore went into detail about how he made the decision to make the quarterback switch. The Michigan coach cited Orji being “outperformed” by Warren in training camp. Moore added that Warren’s play in the first three games prompted the Wolverines to turn to Orji.
“Alex will start on Saturday, excited for him,” Moore told reporters on September 16. “He’s been in here champing at the bit, so we’ll move on from there. …Again, just take the range, performing like [Orji] did in the first couple weeks of camp. Like I said, thought he was in a really good place, and Davis outperformed him in camp at the end.
“And would love to see him just take the reins and do what he’s been doing through those first couple weeks and I think he will. He’s had a great couple weeks of practice, so has Davis. But obviously got to perform in the game and excited to see what Alex is going to do.”
USC vs. Michigan: The Wolverines Are a 5.5-Point Underdog
INTERVIEW: Sherrone Moore explained the decision to make Alex Orji Michigan’s starting quarterback for the game against USC.
“People have their opinions on him, but he can definitely throw. He’ll make some big throws this week,” Moore said.
Michigan is a 5.5-point favorite versus USC in the upcoming matchup. USC is coming off a bye week giving head coach Lincoln Riley additional time to prepare for the Wolverines.
In order to keep the gig longterm, Orji will need to prove against the Trojans that he is capable of beating defenses from the pocket. Orji has primarily been utilized in rushing packages dating back to last season.
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Michigan Football Benches Quarterback for ‘Freak’ Playmaker vs. USC