Predicting 5 Key Position Battles for Michigan Football This Fall

July is the last month we will have to go without Michigan football, as the Wolverines open their 2024 season on August 31 against Fresno State.

There are plenty of positions up for grabs. With a ton of players graduating and 13 draft picks heading to the NFL, Michigan football has no shortage of players vying for playing time.

In terms of position battles, Michigan football has quite a few. We’ll start with the quarterback position, but here’s our prediction of how five key position battles will play out for the Wolverines.

The battle for the quarterback position is the one that everyone is focused on. The quarterback is not one to be overlooked and this position will play a huge role in the success or failure of Michigan football in 2024.

I’ve made it clear that Orji winning the job is ideal for Michigan football. Nothing against Davis Warren or Jack Tuttle, but they are not options. They can’t even do what JJ McCarthy did.

For years, the lack of a running quarterback has been a hindrance to Michigan football. McCarthy has helped change that in recent seasons, although I wish he had been used more, but Orji is the biggest threat to the defense because of his legs.

Tuttle is the biggest threat, though. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and has already started in Big Ten games. He also completed over 80 percent of his passes last season despite attempting just 17 passes.

Tuttle has improved since arriving at Michigan. He wasn’t healthy this spring. Now he is, and I’m guessing the starting spot is between Tuttle and Orji. Maybe there’s even a timeshare relationship early in the season like we saw in 2022, but by the end of the year Orji will be the man.