Alex Orji and Aidan Chiles put Michigan-MSU rivalry on hold for a higher purpose
Detroit — The rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State runs through the state as the two teams play for the state championship each year, and in recent years the rivalry has been more heated. Some have described it as toxic.
Both programs are coming off a post-2022 game incident in the tunnel at Michigan Stadium that left two Michigan players injured and eight MSU players suspended, a low point in a rivalry that, on a lighter note, has often hilariously divided families on game day as friends who are fans of one program or the other exploit the outcome to secure state bragging rights for the year.
On Sunday, however, there was no animosity between the programs, but rather a sense of togetherness as some of the players joined forces for a common goal. Michigan quarterback Alex Orji and Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles hosted a free quarterback camp for first through eighth graders at the SAY Detroit Play Center. Orji and Chiles were brought together by the Childs Play Foundation, a Detroit nonprofit whose goal is to teach children in underserved areas about healthy bodies.
Orji wore a blue T-shirt and Chiles wore a green one – no surprise – and that was what distinguished the two as they gave instructions to the young campers, with assistance from some of their teammates, including MSU receiver Nick Marsh and Michigan running back Ben Hall and receiver Semaj Morgan.
“It’s great to be able to combine a little bit of blue and a little bit of green and do something good for the community,” Orji said.
The two had never met before camp, but said the quarterback brotherhood and sense of community brings them closer together. On Oct. 26, when Michigan and Michigan State play at Michigan Stadium, the two will be on opposite sides, but on Sunday they supported each other in a common goal.
“It’s still a rivalry,” Chiles said Sunday. “It’s one of the biggest rivalries in college football, so there’s no difference when you step on the football field, but now you have to change your perspective.”
Orji said he spoke to Chile’s mother and assured her that he would cheer for her son every day, except when they face each other.
“At the end of the day, we’re all quarterbacks, we’re all football players and we’re all young men who want to be great young men,” Orji said. “I have the blue jersey, he has the green jersey, the kids have the white jersey. It is what it is: You support who you support. But at the end of the day, we all want each other to get better. We all cheer each other on, as long as we’re not playing against each other.”
“We’re more than just athletes. At the end of the day, we are who we are when we’re not wearing pads. When the whistle blows on Saturday, we’re going to try to kick their ass, we’re going to try to beat them 50-0, that’s the way it is. But right now, Aidan is my guy. We’re doing a training camp together. We’re not enemies right now. He’s going to be an elite competitor. He’s extremely talented, and I’m going to try to match that, I’m going to try to top that on the field. The rivalry game gets a little more attention, but we’re not wearing pads right now. It’s all love here.”
Morgan, who like Marsh grew up in the area, wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about his rival, even for a day. Interestingly, he said he was never a Michigan State fan, but he wasn’t a big Michigan fan growing up either.
“I don’t like Michigan State,” Morgan said with a smile when asked why Orji and Chiles are co-hosting camp. “The rivalry is what it is.”
Marsh, who attended River Rouge School, said it was important to attend camp in Detroit at a place he knows well.
“It means a lot to me just to do something for the youth,” Marsh said. “People have been there for me, I just want to return the favor. I’m from this area, I grew up on this street and I just wanted to give something back to the kids.”
He said he sees no problem with quarterbacks from rival schools teaming up for the camp.
“At the end of the day, we’re grown men, we come from the same situation and we have the same goal, so I think it’s a good thing,” Marsh said.
Hall, who has attended several of his teammates’ training camps this summer, said this quarterback training camp had little to do with the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry, but rather was about players from rival schools being able to work together to lead the region’s youth.
“I feel like events like this are more important than the rivalry,” Hall said. “You come here and see a lot of people that look like you or want to be in the same position as you. You put the rivalry behind you for a day and give back to the community that you love and that supports us. To be able to do that with people you love is more important than football. It inspires young men to take the next step on this journey of life.”
Editor Madeline Kenney contributed.
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