Michigan wants to use Alex Orji more often in the future

There was speculation about who might start for Michigan on Saturday when the Wolverines played Fresno State, but no one was quite sure who it would actually be. Minutes before the game, Sherrone Moore confirmed that Davis Warren had earned the starting spot and would start against the Bulldogs, but also said that Alex Orji would have a role and play quite a bit.

Orji finished the game with nine snaps. Orji's first play of the 2024 season was a play-action pass to Donovan Edwards for a three-yard touchdown. Almost everyone in the building thought Orji would run the football. But Sherrone Moore told Jon Jansen on Inside Michigan Football that was the plan from the beginning — to have Orji throw the football even though everyone thought otherwise.

“We had a plan to use him — when he first came in, he had that play action and threw,” Moore said. “We thought he was going to be a blitz — they would say he was going to run the ball — so he executed the play really well, and Donovan caught the ball really well.”

Orji attempted two passes on Saturday, one of which was a touchdown and the other was a pass to Tyler Morris. He also had five carries for 32 yards. Moore thought Orji played his role well. But going forward, Michigan wants to use Orji more and more.

“I thought he played the role well,” Moore said. “I think he had 13 [had nine according to PFF] Snaps, and I think he averaged about six yards per carry when he ran the ball. He did that really well. Of course, he threw a touchdown pass. He's going to have a big package that he does during games, and it's going to get better with each game, but I think he did that really well.”

The concern with rotating quarterbacks is maintaining their confidence and rhythm. But Moore isn't worried about that. He says they'll know when to use Orji and when not to, and when is the best time to utilize his skills in the future.

“I think there's going to be a rhythm,” Moore said. “I think you're going to find a rhythm. And we're going to have some things that are scripted, but we're going to find a rhythm of when to use him and when not to use him, and we're going to do that successfully. Keep Davis in rhythm, and when he's in the game, keep Orji in rhythm. Make sure we do that for our team.”

Michigan hosts Texas on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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