ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fans and media were lamenting Michigan football continuing to start a former walk-on at quarterback after Davis Warren turned out to be a turnover machine in the first three weeks of the season. However, after being benched and not playing for four weeks, Warren returned to the starting lineup and walked of the field a conquering hero.
In the aftermath of the Wolverines’ 24-17 win over rival Michigan State, running back Donovan Edwards couldn’t express his pride over Warren’s performance any higher, giving him a full-throated defense.
“I think that if you go through a lot of like adversity, expectations on you — adversity defines who you are,” Edwards said of Warren. “And this guy right here didn’t flinch, not one bit. And that’s somebody in our huddle that we respect because of the resilience that he’s had. And the media, what the media says about him, and the expectations and all that’s been on him. So I truly respect and I appreciate him, and he deserved the game that he had and especially being able to get his start back, to be able to lead this team to victory, y’all better stop counting him out, man. Because he’s shown time and time again that he overcomes adversity in his personal life and in the football world, that he’s always going to overcome adversity. So stop questioning Davis.”
And overcome adversity, Warren did.
The Leukemia survivor handled his benching in Week 3 like a professional. As his former head coach Jim Harbaugh used to often say, ‘Don’t get bitter, get better.’ And that’s exactly what Warren did. So when he was demoted, Warren didn’t sulk, he didn’t lament his situation. Instead, he got to work — and it paid off.
“I don’t think it wasn’t really a huge adjustment for me,” Warren said. “I felt like I’d always stay prepared. That’s something Coach Campbell talked about, even after Arkansas State was like, ‘This team’s going to need you at some point again, and you got to stay ready.’ And that was just something that I took is it’s not my job to have the perspective on if getting benched was the best thing that ever happened to me, the worst thing, if it was a learning opportunity, if it was something that I always regret. It was just my job to stay ready.
“So I think just having that mental fortitude of like this is just a great opportunity for me to take a step back, get better, learn and just still try to be there for the guys. It was huge and just great to get the win.”
Even so, Warren didn’t spend much time wondering if being benched is what he needed. He spent no hindsight trying to figure out what went wrong in the past. Instead, he put it all aside and focused on the present. And with that, it helped him get out of his own head and helped him play loose when he returned as Michigan’s starter.
“I think that’s natural,” Warren said. “When things don’t go exactly how you want them to, that’s human nature to think that way. But I think, like I said, Coach Campbell did a great job keeping me up and I just turned and was like, hey, not playing. Might as well be turned back into the best practice player I can be again. And I think I had some of my best weeks of practice even when I wasn’t in there as a starter, and just staying ready. And, I think just the way it turned out, I’m just grateful.”