Skip to main content
michigan logo

Can Davis Warren be the Michigan quarterback of the future?

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•02/03/23•

Balas_Wolverine

michigan-football-notebook-kirk-campbell-killing-it-davis-warren-ready-to-make-a-move
(Lon Horwedel/The Wolverine)

Michigan has its quarterback of the immediate future in J.J. McCarthy, who has only begun to scratch the surface of his potential. He was the second U-M signal caller in a row to lead U-M to a Big Ten championship in his first year as a starter — not an easy feat — and he’ll be back with a year of experience under his belt. 

RELATED: Michigan football, the 3-2-1: Jim Harbaugh contract, NIL, Signing Day thoughts

RELATED: Thoughts On next year’s Michigan football captains

But every team needs a capable backup, and the Wolverines were a bit thin in 2022. When last year’s starter, Cade McNamara, went down with a season-ending injury, it was on former walk-on Davis Warren to prepare like the starter in case McCarthy went down. 

His coaches didn’t seem too worried, and the spring game gave a glimpse as to why. Warren was outstanding — at least the second best QB on the field that day — showing the ability to make all the throws, impressive mobility, and moxie. 

The coaches rewarded him by putting him on scholarship Jan. 14. Even if they hadn’t, he wasn’t going anywhere. Head coach Jim Harbaugh took a chance on him after Warren’s bout with — and recovery from — acute myeloid leukemia in 2019, making him a preferred walk-on when others bailed on him.

“I want to be here. I want to be at Michigan,” Warren said in the days leading up to the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl. “Coach Harbaugh … gave me an opportunity to come here and play, and I don’t take that for granted. I really didn’t have a lot of other opportunities, so I believe very strongly in being loyal to this program.

“I’ll get a great education and I’ll learn a lot, and I know my opportunity is going to come. I’m just going to be patient and learn as much as I can. Things can change – things can happen – but I believe very strongly in this program and being loyal to these guys.”

And now he’s getting that education paid for, his decision having paid off. 

Former Michigan assistant and Indiana coach Cam Cameron was one who recommended him to Harbaugh, Warren said, getting the ball rolling on his recruitment. His trainers also had connections to former assistant Josh Gattis and Steve Casula and Grant Newsome at Michigan, and they convinced Harbaugh to take a close look. 

He did, and he liked what he saw. It took Warren “really a full year to get to 100 percent,” but he’s been there since he arrived at Michigan. His illness is now part of his past, and he’s continued to progress as a quarterback.

“I’m just excited to keep growing and getting better,” Warren said. “Just confidence wise, I’ve been able to prove to myself every single day that I can play at this level. Coach Harbaugh has a ton of confidence in me to be able to go in and get the job done if need be. That confidence has helped a lot. 

“On the field itself, I’m understanding defenses better, how the game works. The detail is at a different level, why everything happens …”

But he’s figuring it out, working next to McCarthy to be ready in case he’s needed. And he’s young enough that he could absolutely be the “next guy” after his friend, and that appears to be his plan. 

“I’m just going to keep working hard,” Warren said. “I know my opportunity will come.”

He has the confidence in himself to make the most of it when it does. 

You may also like