Keep your eyes peeled for this rising Michigan football star

Since the start of fall camp in Ann Arbor, the coaching staff and players have been raving about sophomore quarterback Alex Orji, who was first seen making plays as far back as the 2022 season. Now, with the current season in full swing, the sophomore Michigan football star is looking for more ways to contribute; this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for the young quarterback to see the field — whether that be as a QB or not.

Rising Michigan football star is turning heads

Alex Orji is listed as a quarterback right now, though there seems to be a good chance that he is going to see a number of non-quarterback roles during his time with Michigan football. While the Wolverines’ QB room is looking loaded, there is still a chance that he finds his way as high as QB2 on the depth chart; however, his name is also being talked about a good bit in regards to returning kicks and other ball-handling positions.

During fall camp, here is what Jim Harbaugh said about the young Michigan football star.

“(There is) a secret plan for Alex Orji,” the Wolverines’ 9th-year head coach explained last month. “He’s got a chance to be maybe one of the greatest kick-returners of all time. He’s a 230-pound guy. So he just started doing it; we’ll see how it goes. He’s also excelling at quarterback, so there’ll be some decisions that have to be made. We have to improve in our kickoff return blocking before I would agree to have Alex Orji return the kick.

“So there’s a bit of a challenge there going on. It’s made for quite a bit of excitement and enthusiasm. Our kickoff return blockers have seen what Alex can do as a kick returner, challenge is on them to get better at their fundamentals and their techniques and give him the chance. If we can make it happen, it would be really special. I mean, Kalel Mullings would be similar in that role. But yeah, there’s some excitement.”

Alex Orji garnering a lot of high praise

Additionally, while Alex Orji could undoubtedly be returning kicks for the Wolverines as they search for a few true starters in that regard, it appears that the sophomore QB is still in contention for the backup quarterback role. According to Harbaugh, it appears to be anyone’s ball game right now — Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Alex Orji, and Jayden Denegal are all in contention for the spot.

“We will do it like that,” Harbaugh said. “Jack (Tuttle) will be the first in this week (oncee JJ McCarthy comes out), or — Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji, we still consider them right there in the mix.”

If that was not enough to get fans excited to see No. 10 take the field at quarterback this year, QB coach Kirk Campbell — who is in his first year in this role — added to the hype around this “freak.”

“Alex (Orji) is obviously a physical specimen, right?” Michigan football quarterback coach Kirk Campbell said. “If he’s not going to be the No. 1 freak in the country on that list by the time he is a senior (at Michigan), I’d be surprised … We’ve really refined his throwing motion. Like the kid has developed so much, so getting him a spot on the field as one of our best 11 is something that we’re continuously going to look at.”

Keep an eye out for the sophomore quarterback against UNLV tomorrow

Here is what senior running back Kalel Mullings added when asked about Alex Orji.

“With Orj, it’s not even just kick return,” Kalel Mullings said. “It’s really whenever he has the ball. He’s made so many plays where it’s just like, ‘Wow!’ You’re just stunned watching it.”

This weekend, whether it be as a backup quarterback, a kick returner, or one of the other “best 11” players on the field, keep your eyes peeled for Michigan football star athlete Alex Orji as he looks to make a splash early on during his sophomore season in Ann Arbor.

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