After the College Football Playoff concludes and the 2023 season is officially over, JJ McCarthy will have a big decision to make — for this piece, I am going to play it safe and assume that he declares for the NFL Draft, seeing as he is currently being projected as a first-round pick. That said, with a number of good options within the program and in the transfer portal, who will be the next Michigan football quarterback after McCarthy leaves? With Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal on the rise, could Michigan’s next QB already be in Ann Arbor?
Is the Next Michigan football quarterback already on the roster?
If JJ McCarthy is to leave after the 2023 season, Michigan football could turn to an in-house QB with either Jayden Denegal or Alex Orji. Jadyn Davis will be a freshman, and without getting too deep into why starting an 18-year-old who has never seen college snaps is a bad idea, there is very little chance that it will happen. Davis is not quite college-ready yet and will likely get a year to develop as McCarthy did behind Cade McNamara.
Still, both of the Wolverines’ current sophomore quarterbacks are on the rise and could win the job.
Jayden Denegal
Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal are both showing a lot of promise right now and could very well earn the starting nod in 2024 — likely sometime during fall camp. Denegal has gotten plenty of in-game action this fall in relief of JJ McCarthy, and while he has not done anything too impressive, it’s clear that people inside of Schembechler Hall are impressed with what he brings to the table.
Denegal has a massive frame (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), and if he can hone in his arm talent and decision-making, I could very well see him contending for the QB1 role heading into next season. This season, Denegal has completed 80 percent of his passes, even throwing his first touchdown pass in the Maize and Blue.
Alex Orji
Another great option could be Alex Orji — a freak athlete who can reportedly do it all. While it sounds like Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff has been looking to get Orji some reps elsewhere, he apparently wants to try his hand as a quarterback and could have his shot at QB1 come next fall.
Orji, like Denegal, has gotten some reps in place of JJ McCarthy when Michigan football is up by enough points. While he is not really a passing quarterback right now, usually getting QB run plays called for him, there is a chance that he will work on his arm over the offseason. If Orji can improve as a passer, which it sounds like he has been working at a lot, he could become the starting Michigan football quarterback in 2024.
While Jadyn Davis will be in Ann Arbor next fall, and there are a number of good options in the portal, I could see Alex Orji or Jayden Denegal earning the starting job with some development over the offseason.
On that same note, Dante Moore, a transfer QB from UCLA, could also be on the roster next fall, which could make things more interesting. That remains to be seen, though, as his portal recruitment continues to unfold for the Wolverines and others.
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