Sherrone Moore on Michigan quarterbacks: 'We'll see when we get into fall camp'

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore didn’t budge when it came to the quarterback battle this spring.

It seems to be a two-man race between Alex Orji and Davis Warren with Jadyn Davis and Jayden Denegal as the next two guys in the race.

The natural assumption is Orji, but Moore didn’t reveal who had the edge and the battle will clearly bleed into fall camp.

“Everybody’s getting better,” Moore said. I think that’ll go into the summer, the fall. We’ll see when we get to fall camp.”

The Maize team beat the Blue team in the spring game 17-7, with the latter being led by Warren and Orji starting for the Maize. Davis served as Orji’s backup while Denegal served as Warren’s backup. 

One man not suited up was seventh-year quarterback Jack Tuttle, so his status is up in the air.

Moore’s future starting quarterback will certainly have to stand out in order to win the job before the season opener.

Moore didn’t discuss the challenges of being Michigan’s head coach when asked, but did say that it’s been “different” being in an elevated role for nearly three months.

Now exiting spring practice, Andy Staples broke down on Andy Staples On3 how Michigan should handle that battle and where the team’s quarterback room currently stands.

“So, what we saw was Davis Warren looked like the more polished passer. Alex Orji, we’ve told you multiple times is the best athlete on Michigan’s team, and that’s not a slight to Donovan Edwards or Will Johnson, who are incredible players,” Staples said. “All of the Michigan players say that Alex Orji is the best freakish athlete on the team. So, we don’t know where that’s gonna go.”

As Moore said, they’ve all improved throughout spring football. Orji came to Michigan in the Class of 2022 as a four-star recruit and the 391st-ranked player nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s played in nine games over two seasons, carrying the ball 21 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns. However, he’s only thrown the ball once.

When Moore served as the offensive coordinator, he had a little less responsibility when it came to leading the entire team. So not only does Moore have a quarterback battle to decide, he has a lot more on his plate.

“Just different in the fact that it’s not as much football,” Moore said. “I used to just sit in a room with two big screens and watch football all the time. But it’s less of that and more of managing an organization on a daily basis. Just keeping our alignment and keeping our process the same. So that’s what’s been different.

“It’s been great. There are things that go on every single day that are different, that you have to handle. Excited about everything that’s gone on and want to keep progressing.”