Tag: Alex Orji

Lincoln Riley comments on Michigan QB Alex Orji before USC clash

Lincoln Riley emphasized the point that USC has to be ready for any possible personnel grouping or configuration from the Michigan offense.

No. 18 Michigan is making a change at quarterback ahead of its Big Ten opener against No. 11 USC. UM is switching to junior Alex Orji for its game on Saturday. Lincoln Riley talked about Orji as relayed by Wolverines Wire:

I mean, I understand it. I mean, I can understand where they’re coming from on it. There’s two trains of thought. They both have relevance. But I’m not going to sit here and guess why they did, or why they made that choice. That’s their decision. We got to be ready for everybody that they have. (It’s a) very multiple offense, very good on offensive line, backs are good, tight ends elite. A lot of really gifted coaches over there. So, big challenge, regardless of who’s under center.

We got a couple of guys that we’re trying to use a little bit (on defense), but he’s a really good athlete. I told people last night I was familiar with him. We recruited him a little bit coming out of high school. Remember him, have a lot of respect for him as a player and an athlete, so we’ll do the best we can with the bodies that we have.

Across 12 total appearances for the Wolverines, Orji has run the ball 31 times for 181 yards and three touchdowns. The Texas native has recorded seven pass attempts, completing four of them for 20 yards and two scores.

Michigan has won 22 consecutive Big Ten regular season games dating back to the 2021 season. The Trojans struggled on defense the past two years under coach Lincoln Riley, but USC is allowing just 10 points per game in 2024 with its retooled defensive coaching staff.

“I’m excited to see him get in there and chop it up a bit,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said about Orji, per Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press. “We’ll move on from there.”

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How Michigan’s offensive approach to USC will change with Alex Orji

Wolverines Wire’s editor discusses how Michigan has handled its QB situation and what the approach needs to be for USC.

Michigan’s offense against USC is going to look different with Alex Orji replacing Davis Warren at quarterback. What details should we look for? What are the nuances involved in the Wolverines’ big adjustment against the Trojans? You need to be following Wolverines Wire for full Michigan football coverage and analysis. We asked Wolverines Wire editor Isaiah Hole about what to expect from Orji and Michigan’s offense against USC:

“I do think with Orji being named the starting quarterback this week that he should be featured heavily in terms of the run game, but I’m also skeptical of this staff’s ability to put players in the best position to succeed,” Hole told us. “Regardless of Davis Warren having perhaps the more precise arm, I strongly question the staff starting him in the first place, because I think Orji has a much higher ceiling if you utilize him correctly. The staff (last year) has long equated him to that of Alabama star Jalen Milroe, and Orji emulated him in preparation for the Rose Bowl last year. They’re very similar players, and like Milroe, Michigan should have realized it needed to get him involved in the pass game early in the season to get him acclimated. Not all players are going to be as precise in practice, but for some it turns on in games. I’m not sure whether or not Orji will be that type of player, but it was clear that the team had initially intended for him to eventually be the starter. As far as putting Warren in for some passes here and there, no, I don’t think he’s got that live of an arm where he needs to come in and intermittently throw the ball. He had his shot and he was shown to be a liability with six interceptions. He wasn’t making incredible plays downfield outside of that, so if you’re going to live and die with one thrower, it might as well be the guy who can also make teams factor him in via the run game.”

As you contemplate Isaiah Hole’s analysis of Michigan’s offense, it’s worth asking: Did Colston Loveland’s injury at tight end have anything to do with the decision to go run heavy with Orji this week?

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Alex Orji named starting QB for Michigan football vs. USC

Here we go! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — What was expected in the preseason for Michigan football will soon be a reality.

The expectation all offseason was that Alex Orji would be the Wolverines starting quarterback but there was a late surprise when Davis Warren ended up beating him out. However, after throwing six interceptions in three games, head coach Sherrone Moore is making a change.

“Yeah, Alex will start on Saturday,” Moore said. “Excited for him. He’s been in here champing at the bit, so we’ll move on from there.”

Given Warren’s struggles, the move makes sense. But what has Orji done in order to get to a place where the staff trusts him to be the starting quarterback?

Moore says that Orji was good in camp and has a lot of intangibles, it’s just that Warren was performing a little better behind the scenes. But he has full confidence in Orji’s capability at running the offense.

“Yeah, just hitting the range, perform like he did in the first couple weeks of camp,” Moore said. “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 take the reins and do what he’s been doing through those first couple weeks and think he will. He’s had a great couple weeks of practice. So has Davis, but obviously (Alex is) outperforming in the game, and excited to see what Alex is going to do. And he’s been in here, studying his tail off the past couple days, like he always is. But you can see it ramped up even more.”

Many think that Orji is basically a runner only. And given how he’s been deployed thus far, it’s a fair assessment.

Before this year, Orji had only attempted one pass, and he’s been hit or miss being asked to throw this year. He does have two touchdowns, both made on a bootleg to the right where he throws into the flat, but he missed a similar throw late in Week 1. Even so, Moore has full confidence in his arm.

“I mean, he can throw,” Moore said. “I mean, he didn’t connect on the deep ball, but you saw that he has the strength to let it go down there. So that takes timing, that throw. All about his footwork. People don’t know, like, if you don’t take the right footwork in your hips, then the ball gets overthrown. So for him, he knew exactly what he needs to fix. And he was out there yesterday throwing for an hour or so, tried to tell him, like, ‘Dude, you gotta rest. Gotta get to the game.’ So we’ll be ready to go.”

Sherrone Moore teases more Alex Orji snaps as season develops

Interesting. #GoBlue

All offseason, the expectation outside of Schembechler Hall was that Alex Orji would earn the starting quarterback job for Michigan football and run with it. However, that’s not how it worked in reality.

The narrative was so pervasive that Orji is the default starter in the all-new EA Sports College Football 25 video game, however it was Davis Warren who beat him out in fall camp. Warren went 15-for-25 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Fresno State while Orji was 1-for-2 for three yards and a touchdown.

On his Monday appearance on Inside Michigan Football, head coach Sherrone Moore said that there was a plan to utilize Orji in spots and that’s exactly what happened. Unlike last year when Orji was out there to run the wildcat, however, this time the intention would be that he’d make his second pass attempt in a Michigan uniform. And it worked to perfection as he threw his first career passing touchdown.

“We had a plan of, we were going to put him in — the first time he’d be in there, he had that play action and throw it,” Moore said. “Thought that he’d be a lightning bolt — they’d say that he’d be running the ball — so he did a really good job of executing the play, and it was a really good job by Donovan of making the catch.”

That said, fans can expect to see more of Orji moving forward, perhaps starting this week against Texas.

“He’ll have an extensive package of what he does throughout games and it’ll grow and grow every game,” Moore said.

Orji’s second pass attempt in Week 2 was a huge miss on what was essentially a routine roll out and pitch. His passing game may still be a work in progress but his athleticism and ability running the football is undeniable.

If Orji can figure out the passing aspect of his game, then it could be a huge boon for a Michigan team that looked awfully disjointed offensively in Week 1. And Orji, a Texas native, would certainly love an opportunity to show out against his home state team — especially since the Longhorns never offered.

Final 2024 Michigan football preseason position analysis: Quarterback

Looks like we have a surprise starter. #GoBlue

Primer

There’s been no position more contested for Michigan football this offseason than the starting quarterback. It has been a hotly contested battle with many twists and turns, but here’s what we project come the season opener on Aug. 31.

Projected starter: Davis Warren
Rotation: Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, Jayden Denegal, Jadyn Davis

Position outlook

Long thought to be Alex Orji’s position to lose, Davis Warren has challenged him throughout both spring ball and fall camp. Jack Tuttle could have been in the mix, but injuries have hindered his progress.

While there has been no announcement yet, rumors started swirling late on Thursday that Davis Warren appears to have won the job. That doesn’t mean it’s ironclad — far from it. If it took Warren until two days before the season opener to win the job — though head coach Sherrone Moore says he wants one starter — given that Orji will assuredly have packages, he could very well wrest away the tenuous starting position. This isn’t necessarily a tryout as it was in 2022 between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy, but the starting job is likely just as precarious as it was that year.

When Tuttle is healthy, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him work his way into the mix or even take over as the starter. The seventh-year player is a former four-star who was the backup last year. Jayden Denegal and freshman Jadyn Davis will likely work into games late, when Michigan has a decided advantage.

Sherrone Moore explains what he’s looking for in next Michigan football QB

Let the games begin! #GoBlue

INDIANAPOLIS — The absolute biggest question facing Michigan football this offseason is who will be the starting quarterback. Though the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game and most pundits have pencilled in Alex Orji’s name, the competition has yet to truly begin, and there are multiple contenders waiting in the wings.

Beyond Orji, Jack Tuttle was injured this spring, Davis Warren had a strong showing in the April spring game, while junior Jayden Denegal and freshman Jadyn Davis will also have their say when fall camp begins next week.

But what will be the determining factor for new head coach Sherrone Moore when it comes to choosing a quarterback? Is it the player with the highest ceiling? The one with the biggest ‘wow’ factor? Or will it be something else entirely?

WolverinesWire asked Moore at Big Ten media days what he’ll be looking for and ball security is the top item, while being able to also move the offense down the field.

“I think the No. 1 thing is who’s going to take care of the football, who’s going to be the guy that take care of the football,” Moore said. “Our defense is going to provide them a bunch of different looks. They are going to have Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant running at them and Josaiah Stewart and Jaishawn Barham and Will off the edge, and Makari and all these guys and different looks.

“So who’s gonna take care of the football? Who’s gonna make a play? And then next thing who’s going to really lean on the team win and team-first mentality? For us, we’ll get a good feel as we go through training camp. Don’t know what the day is and when it will be, but you guys will know as soon as we do. Maybe!”

Given his absence in spring and the fact that he hasn’t been a hot name, don’t sleep on Jack Tuttle to end up winning the job.

Though he doesn’t get a ton of accolades from his time at Utah, Indiana, or in Ann Arbor, Tuttle was originally a four-star recruit, rated by 247Sports as the No. 110 player in the country. According to the 247Sports Composite, he was as a consensus four-star at No. 167 overall in the 2018 class. He may have been behind players like Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and J.T. Daniels, but he was ahead of Joe Milton, Cam Rising, Devin Leary, and even Michael Penix Jr.

Moore says that Tuttle has a lot working for him and given the players who he was behind — the No. 9 and 10 NFL draft picks in 2024 — it stands to reason why he hasn’t seen the field with regularity at his last two stops.

“Yeah, he’s been great, man,” Moore said. “He’s been accurate. He’s been throwing hard, throwing physical, fast and it looks good.

“Jack’s had the unfortunate favor to be behind Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. So he’s excited, to say the least. So watch him compete. We’re ready. Ready to see what happens.”

Either way, Michigan football will have a big decision to make and one it shouldn’t take lightly. Tuttle would be the safe option, but we’ve seen the Wolverines go that route with Cade McNamara in 2021, and they still won the Big Ten and beat Ohio State. They also did so in 2016 with former three-star Wilton Speight and were a questionable spot away from meeting those same goals. But we’ve also seen what an enigmatic talent can do with J.J. McCarthy at the helm. Perhaps Orji is a Jalen Milroe clone, and he will get a chance to prove his mettle in fall camp.

What Alex Orji has improved upon most this offseason

Can’t wait to see what he does this year! #GoBlue

Though he’s been anointed as the next Michigan football starting quarterback, Alex Orji will have to win the job come fall camp. It will be a battle, with elder statesman Jack Tuttle, veteran Davis Warren, and challengers Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis all having their say. Thus, for Orji, he’ll have to put his best foot forward in the coming weeks.

Despite being the starter in the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game, Orji is doing what he can to improve this offseason, in hopes that his name is the first called on August 31 when the Wolverines host Fresno State. So where does he feel like he is in his development? Where has he made the biggest strides this offseason?

“I would say comfortability with my mechanics, building that muscle memory as well as comfortability with raising my voice sometimes, being that leader that all of us quarterbacks are,” Orji said. “It’s been awesome to see how the guys rally around us knowing how a guy like (Davis Warren) has been here the longest of anyone in the room, how he’s able to — a lot of guys have seen what he’s been through with the program and the way he conducts his business, you don’t really have to doubt what he’s saying. You never really think twice about what he’s saying, you know what he’s about. Been good for all of us to kind of step into those leadership roles that comes with being a quarterback.

“I think, for me, being a vocal leader, comfortability with my mechanics and also seeing defenses. I think it’s awesome to be able to go against the best defense in the country every day, there’s really nothing like it. Can’t take it for granted. It’s been good to feel that out. Also, not wearing pads in the summer, it’s good to not have to worry about Mason (Graham) and (Kenneth Grant) every day.”

The season opener is all good and well, but unlike the past two years, Michigan has a formidable opponent in Week 2 when Texas comes to town.

If Orji is the guy, he’s not concerned with what will happen that far down the road, instead adhering to the Michigan mantra of focusing on the quotidian and what he can do today to improve.

“I couldn’t tell you what I need to do in order to be ready for something so far in the future, I think that if I keep preparing myself and getting ready for tomorrow, eventually that day is going to be tomorrow,” Orji said. “I think listening to what Coach Moore has for us, especially what Coach Campbell says, the offense goes when the O-line goes, offense goes as he calls it. I think just taking those things and not trying to do too much or do too little. Finding the sweet spot of working smarter and harder.

“If I was ready for Texas right now then there would be no more work to be done. I think between now and then, now and the beginning of camp, now and Friday, there’s always going to be a lot to get done. I think whenever you take it one day at a time, that’s when you do your best work.”

Regardless if he wins the starting job, Orji will have a role in the offense, much like he did last year.

USC, Miller Moss might have the advantage against Michigan, Alex Orji

If USC-Michigan is a passing contest, the Trojans might have the upper hand.

CBS Sports college football analyst Blake Brockermeyer is clearly concerned about Michigan’s quarterback situation. Brockermeyer doesn’t know what to expect when Michigan faces USC and the other teams on its 2024 schedule. USC’s Miller Moss is a higher-rated quarterback than Michigan’s Alex Orji.

Here’s Brockermeyer on Orji:

“Although Michigan’s coaches are confident in his running skills, his passing ability remains largely untested. Former coach Jim Harbaugh praised Orji’s arm talent, noting his high school stats of over 2,000 passing yards, a 51% completion rate, 28 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Michigan is expected to use heavy formations to emphasize the run, as Orji’s passing capabilities are still unknown outside the team. He may either continue in his situational role from last year or be surpassed by a more traditional passer.”

Moss threw six touchdown passes for USC in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. We haven’t seen Orji do anything of the sort at Michigan. Maybe Orji will be a dynamic runner who doesn’t need to throw the ball that much, but if the Michigan-USC game on Sept. 21 comes down to which quarterback throws the ball better, the Trojans will like their chances.

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CBS Sports not high on Alex Orji outlook for Michigan football

Well, that’s just like your opinion, man.

Six quarterbacks went in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft this year. As a result, six high-profile college football teams are looking to break in new starters at the most premier position on the field. For some, that will be easier than for others.

Oregon secured two high-profile quarterback transfers, which puts the Ducks in an advantageous position. LSU, North Carolina, Washington and USC are also turning to new signal callers. So is Michigan football, and one outlet isn’t too high on the Wolverines’ presumed starter.

CBS Sports analyst Blake Brockmeyer evaluated the six openings and ranked the quarterbacks who are expected to step into starting roles this year. He ranked Michigan QB Alex Orji last among the six.

Alex Orji is the most unpredictable quarterback prospect of the six, with impressive size and athletic ability hinting at how Sherrone Moore might run Michigan’s offense in 2024. Despite limited playing time — 17 snaps last season and only eight in 2022 with just one pass attempt — Orji showcased his physical running ability as a change of pace in Michigan’s ground-and-pound offense. As a dynamic athlete, he excels with the ball in his hands, but defenses will anticipate this and load the box to stop the run.

Although Michigan’s coaches are confident in his running skills, his passing ability remains largely untested. Former coach Jim Harbaugh praised Orji’s arm talent, noting his high school stats of over 2,000 passing yards, a 51% completion rate, 28 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Michigan is expected to use heavy formations to emphasize the run, as Orji’s passing capabilities are still unknown outside the team.

He may either continue in his situational role from last year or be surpassed by a more traditional passer.

That all may end up being true. But the good news is Orji himself is aware that accuracy in passing is what will earn him the job. If he cannot beat out his competitors, he will not have a chance to be Michigan’s next starter.

“I mean, it’s pretty hard to play quarterback without throwing the football,” Orji said. “Throwing aspect, coach Harbaugh once told us, as a quarterback, accuracy was gonna get you paid, accuracy was gonna get you a job. All the extracurricular — all the other stuff — it’s gonna keep your job. But at the end of the day, you’re not anything without accuracy.”

Fall camp will not begin for another six weeks or so. Then the competition will heat up with Orji, Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis vying for the starter’s role for the Michigan Wolverines.

Alex Orji understands importance of accuracy at the QB position

He is absolutely right. #GoBlue

DETROIT — Last season, J.J. McCarthy had the best season from an accuracy perspective that a Michigan football starting quarterback has maybe had ever, completing 72.3% of his passes — numbers unseen in decades. So it will be a tall task to replace the Wolverines QB who has the best winning percentage ever as a starter, but Alex Orji is up for the challenge.

The problem? Not many have seen him throw the football.

Orji didn’t attempt a single pass last year, and though the starting job is still to be determined, Orji is aware that in order for him to win the role, he’ll have to be able to show what he can do with his arm.

The good news is he has an offensive coordinator who helped McCarthy (as the quarterbacks coach) who is aiding him in that regard.

“I mean, it’s pretty hard to play quarterback without throwing the football,” Orji said. “There’s a lot of focus placed on it. I think that Coach Campbell is just an awesome coach, just the way that he’s willing to help individually, whoever it is, from a seventh-year senior in the room to a freshman who has been there for seven days.

“Everyone talks about him like he’s always willing to help — he’s not only focused on one person or getting pissed at somebody whenever something doesn’t go exactly how even they think it should go. He’s just going to try to help us be the best that we can be.

“And so, kind of going back to that culture aspect, I think that’s the biggest thing is you see it coming from the top to the bottom — like it’s not just someone telling you to do it, you see our coaches doing it. You see our top players doing it, and it’s like I gotta be on the same thing. They finding success in this world, I kind of want to find the same thing.

The knock on Orji this offseason is that, behind closed doors, he may be somewhat erratic — though those are rumors at this point. But he’s well aware that if he’s going to win the Michigan starting quarterback job, it will be because he’s the most accurate.

Harkening back to his former head coach, he notes that it’s not being a dual-threat (as he is) that will win you a starting job. It’s not extending plays. It’s not having a rocket arm. No, the most important aspect is accuracy.

“Throwing aspect, Coach Harbaugh once told us, as a quarterback, accuracy was gonna get you paid, accuracy was gonna get you a job,” Orji said. “All the extracurricular — all the other stuff — it’s gonna keep your job. But at the end of the day, you’re not anything without accuracy.”