The Michigan Wolverines have a problem at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy’s understudies haven’t met the moment yet, and so far, Michigan has struggled. While they’re 2-1, they haven’t looked the same way they used to. That’s largely due to their struggles at quarterback.
Michigan started Davis Warren at quarterback to begin the year, and that, unfortunately, took them nowhere they wanted to be. Alex Orji appeared in Week 3 in a bigger role after head coach Sherrone Moore benched Warren due to performance issues. Orji presents his own limitations though, which has the Wolverines’ outlook looking muddier than it was in the preseason.
ESPN analyst Pete Thamel made a bold prediction about the Wolverines’ quarterback situation in 2025.
“This is a bridge year at quarterback for Michigan,” Pete Thamel said on the College GameDay podcast. “This is a byproduct of them being spoiled by their success. A year ago at this time, J.J. McCarthy going pro wasn’t a conversation. … He could have gone pro, but he had not played to the level–even in mid-November last year, people weren’t staunchly standing on the table.”
“That late surge, combined with Jim Harbaugh’s collegiate ambivalence… left Michigan in flux here. I really think that when you look at Michigan right now, they just kinda got caught,” Thamel added. “They did make some portal, slash non-portal forays at the end of spring. The unfortunate part for Alex Orji is the reason he’s not the starter is he’s very limited in the pass game. And I think we’ve seen that in the small sample size we’ve had of him.
“I just think we’re about to see Michigan dawdle and really arm up and gear up to get the best quarterback in the portal they can next year,” Thamel predicted.
The Wolverines could have saved themselves the trouble by going for it this year, but their situation caught them in a web. But that will make this offseason that much more crucial.
