Greg McElroy believes Michigan is moving in the right direction with Jack Tuttle at QB

After three unsuccessful drives against Washington on Saturday, Michigan benched quarterback Alex Orji and inserted Jack Tuttle behind center. Tuttle immediately led the Wolverines on a seven-play, 75-yard drive, resulting in a touchdown.

In the end, Tuttle was unable to lead Michigan to victory, ultimately falling 27-17 to the Huskies. However, the seventh-year senior provided Michigan with a passing threat it’s been desperately missing this season. On Monday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy weighed in on Tuttle’s performance.

“Based on how he played Saturday, I think Jack Tuttle would have won the [quarterback] competition had he been healthy,” McElroy said. “No, he didn’t play ridiculously good. He was 10-of-18, had a touchdown, had an interception, but it was notably better than what we’ve seen from that position up to this point. When you listen to Sherrone Moore after the game, he’s focusing on the positives from Tuttle’s performance.

“I’d be surprised if it’s not Tuttle moving forward, but there’s a lot of uncertainty. Because if you look at Tuttle, he’s 25 years old. He’s been a journeyman. I mean, we’re talking about a guy that was playing as a backup to Michael Penix Jr. back in Indiana. But, it looks like right now, they’re moving in the right direction with him as the guy.”

Tuttle wasn’t subbed into the game on solid ground. When he replaced Orji in the second quarter, Michigan already trailed Washington 14-0. After Tuttle took the field, Michigan outscored Washington 17-13.

Nonetheless, the tally in Michigan’s loss column won’t reflect such details. Now, Michigan can only hope to build on Tuttle’s performance as it moves forward into conference play.

As McElroy mentioned, Tuttle was unavailable at the beginning of the season due to a lingering elbow issue from last year. Davis Warren began the 2024 campaign as Michigan’s QB1 before Orji took the job. Now, it appears Jack Tuttle may have a chance to lead the Wolverines’ offense.

Moore certainly liked what he saw from the veteran QB.

“Right now, it looks like Jack,” Moore said. “We’ll do everything we can to keep the competition going, but I think right now he gives us the best chance to win. And we’ll continue to process that as an offense, as a team, but that looks like the direction we’re heading.”

Michigan has a bye this week, which will give the program more time to consider who should start at QB. On Oct. 19, Michigan will square off against Illinois at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on CBS.