Michigan football notebook: Kirk Campbell killing it, Davis Warren ready to make a move
The Michigan quarterback room is top heavy this year with J.J. McCarthy head and shoulders above everyone else. Several are vying for playing time behind him, though, begging the question — who’s No. 2?
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Junior Davis Warren has had two very good springs in a row now, and some believe he’ll have a chance at the starting job down the road. He’s continued to prepare that way, putting in the time and effort to be ready if his number is called.
“I’m in a great spot,” he told Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast recently. “I feel every year, every spring, fall season, whatever the different periods of the year, I feel like I’ve elevated myself every single time. Coming in knowing I had no name for myself, nothing at all, I’m in a spot now I’m super excited about … in a position where all my goals are in front of me.”
Of course, he has to be patient, he added, and he understands it.
“J.J.’s our guy, and me and him are really close and have a really tight relationship,” Warren said. “But I’m just learning a ton from him. Coach [Kirk] Campbell coming in made a huge difference. I’m super excited to see where I can take my game.
“I said when I came in here, I want to be the starting quarterback at Michigan. I think I have the talent and ability to do that. Things in high school didn’t go the way I wanted them to — probably the exact opposite — but my goals haven’t changed.”
A form of leukemia sidetracked him but didn’t stop him. He beat it and came back stronger, showing off an NFL arm and high football IQ. He still expects to be the starting quarterback at Michigan someday, and he wants to play in the NFL, too.
“I’ve said this a million times — I’m very blessed with the opportunities I have gotten since being at Michigan and for the opportunity to come to Michigan,” he said. “I’m Just super grateful and try not to forget that every day I come in here.”
Kirk Campbell off to a great start at Michigan
First-year quarterbacks coach Campbell has not only been an outstanding recruiter for the Wolverines from the get-go; he’s also made a difference in the room. He was a huge help last year as an offensive analyst, but he’s making the most of his hands-on opportunity.
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Warren credited him for taking the Michigan quarterbacks to another level.
“You have to be super disciplined with where you’re putting your eyes pre-snap, post-snap, how you’re seeing things, and he’s just really cleared that picture up for all of us,” Warren said. “I think you’re going to see even more as we get into the season and start seeing [defenses]. Our defense has a lot of interesting stuff and other defenses will too, and we’ll be just as prepared as ever to push the ball down the field. I know that’s a that’s a big goal of ours this year.”
The Michigan quarterbacks, of course, love to hear that. It’s natural for those at the position to want to air it out.
And even though McCarthy is the guy, Campbell has assured everyone in the room they’ll get their chances, too.
“Coach Campbell does a really good job of this, and he’s super clear with it … ‘’listen — everyone is going to have a role on this team,’” Warren said. “The guy who’s out on the field is a is a product, is the sum of the work that everyone in the room has put in, from everyone working out and me and J.J. pushing each other in workouts, to Alex Orji is a freak athlete. We’re trying to catch up to him in the weight room, and that only makes us better.
“What’s good for the quarterback room is good for the team. What’s good for the team is good for everyone else around it. So, it’s just a really fun thing to be a part of.”
All credit to Campbell, Warren said, for making it that way.
