Who is going to be the quarterback?
Every season, college football teams throughout the country grapple with this age-old conundrum. Add Michigan to the list by 2024.
With J.J. McCarthy leaving to forego his final year of eligibility and declare for the NFL draft, the position is expected to be wide open for the first time in four seasons once spring practice begins.
McCarthy was the guy last year. Before that, we knew it would either McCarthy or Cade McNamara. McNamara was the best choice in 2021.
But this year? It’s not nearly as obvious.
The Wolverines are set to return at least three scholarship quarterbacks in the fall, and potentially a fourth (Jack Tuttle) depending upon an eligibility ruling from the NCAA. Smart money says the starter will likely come out of that group.
Among those four, Tuttle — a transfer from Indiana — has the most experience, having appeared in 21 college games while making five starts. He doesn’t possess any superstar traits but knows the game and can get the job done.
If Tuttle is ruled ineligible, then it could come down to three: Senior Davis Warren, a former walk-on turned scholarship player, or sophomores Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal.
Orji might be considered the leader in the clubhouse at the moment, with his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame earning him snaps in key games down the stretch of Michigan’s national title team. Like McCarthy in ‘21, Orji had designed runs inserted into the offense for him — and he more often than not completed the task. But the former three-star recruit has attempted just one pass in two seasons.
“Alex is like the scariest, athletic guy on our whole team,” Jim Harbaugh told reporters during the lead-up to the Rose Bowl. “He’s ready to throw the ball, he really is.”
Denegal, another former three-star recruit, has thrown it more — but not much more. He made five pass attempts in 2023, completing four of them for 50 yards in a touchdown late in lopsided games. Denegal boasts a similar but taller frame at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds.
Warren might be the most intriguing of the group. Standing a more traditional 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, the former walk-on has the arm strength and athleticism that most closely mirrors McCarthy. He made a big splash in 2022, moving up the depth chart to play in six games, but reversed course in ‘23 — appearing in just three games, completing zero passes and even throwing an interception. If he sticks around, Warren could be an option.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on true-freshman Jadyn Davis, a four-star recruit from Charlotte, North Carolina, who enrolled early and should be a full participant in the spring. If there was ever the right confluence of conditions for Davis to win the job, this offseason presents it. But Harbaugh has shown a hesitancy to throwing freshmen quarterbacks out there as starters during his time at Michigan, even going back to high-profile names such as McCarthy.
Now, could that opinion change if Harbaugh elects to take one of the NFL jobs he’s interviewing for? Certainly.
But just like the program’s wide-open quarterback position, we’re all in wait-and-see mode.
