Sherrone Moore has a great deal to figure out when it comes to the offensive side of the ball for Michigan football this offseason. The good news is the new head coach has quite a bit of familiarity when it comes to that unit, given he was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Wolverines.
The maize and blue lost a wealth of talent, from quarterback J.J. McCarthy to running back Blake Corum to the entire starting offensive line. There are answers at tailback with Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings returning as well as on offensive line with so many players waiting in the wings. But QB is a little murkier with a number of contenders for the starting position.
Jack Tuttle was granted a seventh year of eligibility and could end up surging for the role, while convention has led many to estimate that the QB battle will be between third-year signal callers Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji. Davis Warren remains a dark horse as does true freshman Jadyn Davis, who likely needs at least a year to acclimate to the college game before becoming a starter.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg took a look at all of the top-tier quarterback battles, the ones that are most intriguing across the sport (subscription required), and endeavored to predict who will be the starter at each school. While most situations are cut and dry, he isn’t so sure that it’s similar in Ann Arbor.
Week 1 starter prediction: Transfer TBA. Michigan has to aggressively monitor the portal and can offer a lot to experienced transfers who fit Campbell and Moore’s vision on offense. Perhaps Tuttle takes a significant step — he has appeared in games in each of the past five seasons for Indiana or Michigan — or the team gets a surge from Denegal or Orji. But I suspect Michigan’s QB1 for 2024 isn’t on campus yet.
If the starter does come from elsewhere that beckons the next question: who?
As of now, there are no top-tier starters apparently available via the transfer portal, which means the eventual predicted starter would likely be a late addition to the portal after spring ball. After only taking two transfers in the earlier window, Michigan will certainly work the portal much harder in the spring, but if the Wolverines aren’t happy with their internal options and no high-level starters enter the portal? That would make the offseason that much more interesting, to be sure.