Kirk Campbell addresses Michigan's plan for backup quarterback

Last season, the second-string quarterback spot for the Michigan Wolverines was of little concern as 2021 starter Cade McNamara occupied it. In the offseason, McNamara transferred to Iowa to become the Hawkeye starting quarterback. And that movement has created an opening for some of the other talent on the roster to earn reps behind star quarterback JJ McCarthy.

But which quarterback has the inside track of being the Wolverines’ No. 2 man behind center? According to Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell, there is no definitive answer just yet. However, the Wolverines plan on using a particular method to find their QB2.

“Yeah, we’re going to use the Michigan method at the number two spot at quarterback,” said Campbell. “All four of those guys, Davis (Warren), Jack Tuttle, Alex Orji, (and) Jayden Denegal, will hopefully get an opportunity to show what they can do on the game field. Davis got the first nod because he played a little bit better during the fall. He got that opportunity, but we’ll see how the rest plays out.”

Last season, Campbell and the Michigan coaching staff used that method to determine who would be the Wolverines’ starting quarterback in 2022. McNamara and McCarthy went head-to-head all offseason, battling for the starting position. That battle bled into the regular season. Ultimately, McCarthy beat out his quarterback roommate to earn the starting nod.

This season, the ‘Michigan method’ will establish the pecking order between Warren, Tuttle, Orji, and Denegal. Warren has the upper hand after performing well in the spring, getting a few snaps in against ECU in Week 1. But as Campbell highlighted, nothing is set in stone, and the process of determining Michigan’s backup quarterback is still in the works.

McCarthy talks about starting first season-opener at Michigan

Last years quarterback battle saw McNamara getting the start in Week 1. This year, with him off at Iowa, it allowed McCarthy to make his first career start in a season opener. To him, it felt just as good as he expected it to too.

McCarthy spoke about his start this weekend after his team’s 30-3 victory over East Carolina. He said that he almost felt odd from how good he felt and that it came a lot more naturally to him than how previous years started for him, considering all things.

“I was actually talking to some of the boys in the locker room yesterday and I was just like, ‘Man!’. Like, it’s almost like I get this weird feeling because I feel so good,” McCarthy said.

“Like, last year? I was dealing with the shoulder injury, dealing with the quarterback battle. There was just a lot of resistance, a lot of stuff to push through. This one just felt effortless,” said McCarthy. “It felt uplifting every single snap. It just felt like everything was going right and it was a beautiful feeling.”

McCarthy had an outing in his first time being the opening day QB1 in Ann Arbor. He finished 26/30 against the Pirates for 280 passing yards and three touchdowns. It ended up being the second-most completions of his career as well as the third-most passing yards.