Alex Orji of the Michigan Wolverines remains true to himself as quarterback
Detroit — During his time as a high school player in Texas before receiving college scholarship offers, Michigan quarterback Alex Orji heard from people who supported him changing positions rather than staying at the position he loved.
“All the time,” Orji said before hosting a youth quarterback camp in Detroit last Sunday with Michigan State University quarterback Aidan Chiles.
He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 230 pounds, an imposing sight behind center, and it was his size and athleticism that led so many to believe he would get more playing time in college at a position other than quarterback. Orji, a three-star recruit from Texas, is now a leading contender for the Wolverines’ starting job this fall after JJ McCarthy moved on to the NFL. He said he owes that opportunity largely to his determination in high school and the support of his family and coaches to continue playing quarterback.
“It just showed me that I can do anything I set my mind to,” Orji said. “That was huge for me and something I’ve always passed on to everybody. There are a lot of kids out there that are going to this camp right now and a lot of people will tell them they can’t play quarterback and one thing that’s always helped me is that whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.
“At the end of the day, if you think you can do it, do it. If you think you can’t, you’ve already lost the battle. It helped me a lot. I got a lot of offers for other positions and a lot of interest in other things and a lot of persuasion, but I think it’s super important to hit the table at a certain point and do what you want to do and what you love.”
Sophomore running back Ben Hall said Orji is authentic and it shows.
“Alex is just thorough in everything he does,” Hall said. “He’s thorough. He cares deeply about his processes, and if someone tells you to do something different, he sticks with it. He knows what he wants to do in his life. That goes into everything he does. He’s a dog in everything he does, and when he decides to do something, he’s going to do it to the best of his ability.”
Jack Tuttle, who has recovered from an injury and is now in his seventh year of eligibility, did not participate much in spring practice but has starting experience from his time at Indiana. He is expected to be the main competition for the starting quarterback job, along with Orji and Davis Warren, who both practiced in the spring. Jayden Denegal, a sophomore, and freshman Jadyn Davis, who enrolled early, will also compete for the job.
There were rumors that Michigan might look in the portal for a transfer quarterback, but Kirk Campbell, in his first year as offensive coordinator and his second as quarterbacks coach, said after the spring he was happy with the group already in place. Orji said there was camaraderie in the quarterback room.
“Everyone that was there, a guy like Jack who’s been playing football for many years and a guy like Jadyn who just came in, at the end of the day we all have something to offer each other,” Orji said. “It’s great that we all want everyone to be the best quarterback because at the end of the day, I don’t think any of us are really looking to be a starter at Michigan. We were just focused on helping the Michigan football team win.”
Orji has been on the field in special situations and appeared in six games last year and had 15 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. In his career, he has 21 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns. In the spring game, Orji completed 13 of 18 passes for 103 yards and had five carries for two yards – he was sacked three times – and had an 18-yard touchdown for the Blue team’s only points in a 17-7 loss to the Maize team.
“I think I was on a steady uptick,” Orji said of his spring training. “I think the whole offense was better. I didn’t notice anyone on the team, especially on offense, that didn’t get much better in the spring. I think it was a great opportunity for us to get used to our new coaches and new roles and familiar faces as well and just be able to play together and form a good offense.”
He had obviously recovered from the season high all his teammates shared after winning the national championship, but his confidence was also boosted by his larger role in the Rose Bowl preparations as the Wolverines prepared to play Alabama. He is similar in size to Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, a quarterback Orji respected when they were both coming up through the high school ranks in Texas. Orji led the scout team and was tasked with giving Michigan’s defense a good idea of what it would be like to face Milroe.
Although Orji did his job setting up the defense, in the end it was the time he spent against Michigan’s top-notch defense that proved beneficial to his development as a quarterback.
“You’ll never see a group like that again, trying to run balls around (defensive backs) Mike (Sainristil) and Will (Johnson). That’s tough,” Orji said. “Trying to get away from (tackles) Mason (Graham) and KG (Kenneth Grant) still pisses me off to this day. So I think it’s definitely good to be able to play against a really good defense, but it’s even better knowing they’re going to be wearing the same jersey on Saturday.”
He also learned a lot from spending time with McCarthy and said it has a lasting impact on the returning quarterbacks. They learned by watching him as a player and a leader. Orji and Denegal, his roommate, called McCarthy last week.
“Two rings and boom, he answers and updates us on everything he’s doing,” Orji said. “The most important thing is knowing how to lead, how to lead men, how to lead the people around you, no matter what position you’re in. During his time here at Michigan, he’s taken on a number of different roles and has really risen to all of them.
“The way he handled everything was great. You could talk to him anytime, and he talks to everybody on the team. That’s one thing he inspired everybody else to do: just be a man of the people. Be able to lead everybody. You’re not just leading the quarterbacks or the receivers or the offense. You have to be able to talk to everybody. That’s just what it means when you’re taking snaps and then being on the field. You have to always stay calm, cool and collected, always have a plan and know the play before the play, have an idea of what’s going to happen before you even snap the ball.”
As Michigan and the rest of college football prepare for preseason practice in the coming weeks, Orji said quarterbacks have not paid attention to reports about competition for the quarterback position and who might have the advantage on the Wolverines.
Michigan head coaches Sherrone Moore and Campbell told reporters in June there was no set timetable for naming a starting quarterback. Orji said Sunday that experts on the job don’t have all the information.
“It’s pretty easy for the people in the building because we know what’s going on,” Orji said, not wanting to get caught up in preseason speculation. “I mean, the media’s perception from the outside is what it is. People are going to say what they say, and sometimes they’re going to be right, sometimes they’re going to be wrong.”
“I don’t think it really has any impact on our competition. I think we all go back to the facility, we work as hard as we can, work our asses off and compete with each other while trying to get the best out of everyone because at the end of the day, we all want to be successful individually. We all want to be the starter, but ultimately, at the end of camp, at the end of every practice, we want to have the best quarterback going out there and taking snaps on Saturdays. If we want to be an elite football program, we don’t want to do it in a selfish way.”
@chengelis
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