Michigan Football is heading to a transition at quarterback. JJ McCarthy is headed to the NFL, and for the first time in a long time, Michigan could be looking at an open QB competition this spring.

There is no obvious successor to McCarthy. While JJ was a top recruit who pushed Cade McNamara and eventually took the starting job, no one on the roster currently was ever putting McCarthy's job in jeopardy. None of these quarterbacks have taken a lot of snaps for Michigan, or in the case of incoming freshman Jadyn Davis' case, have taken zero snaps for Michigan.

Still, there is a misunderstanding about Michigan's quarterback room. It seems people forget the potential many of them have or the fact none of them were considered nobodies as recruits. So, as Michigan heads toward a new era and unknown at quarterback, let's take a look back at what we do now and how these quarterbacks were viewed as recruits.

Davis Warren's journey goes far beyond football. Warren was an exciting QB prospect out of Los Angeles, where he was a backup at powerhouse Loyola. Warren was set to take over at Peddie in New Jersey but was diagnosed with Leukemia in April 2019.

Warren beat cancer by August and was playing football in the fall of 2019, but obviously not at full strength. His goal was to build for a strong senior season, but the pandemic in 2020 resulted in his senior season being canceled. Warren had few offers.

He returned to California to train and got offered a preferred walk-on at Michigan late in 2020. While some questioned his decision, Warren has never hidden his goal to someday start at the University of Michigan. The coaching staff raves about Warren and his character. He'll get his first legit shot at starting at Michigan this spring.

Alex Orji was a dual-threat recruit from Texas in the 2022 class, ranked 9th by Rivals. Orji had an impressive offer list that included Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and more. Orji got his Michigan offer in March of 2021 but committed to Virginia Tech a few weeks later. Michigan circled back to Orji, and he was signing day flip to the Wolverines.

Orji took a big leap as a passer in his senior season, going from 11 touchdowns with 7 interceptions to 28 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. His accuracy was a concern, completing a little better than 50% throughout his high school career. As a runner, no concerns, as Orji ran for nearly 2500 yards and rushed for 43 touchdowns in high school.

With both of his brothers successful defenders at Vanderbilt, many expected the very strong Alex to switch positions in Ann Arbor. Michigan has believed in Orji has a quarterback from the beginning. His running ability has gotten him onto the field at Michigan, but we still don't know much about his ability as a passer. He'll get a chance to show he can throw like a starter this spring.

Jayden Denegal was literally a big quarterback recruit out of California. Rivals ranked him as the 24th pro-style QB in the 2022 class. Denegal also had an impressive offer list, including SEC schools Georgia, Auburn, and Arkansas. Things with Denegal, once he received a committable offer from Michigan, he committed the same day.

At 6'4" 215lbs, Denegal played quarterback and linebacker in high school, in case you have questions about his physicality. Denegal arguably had his best season as a sophomore, completing 66% of his passes for 2500 yards and 34 touchdowns. His junior season was impacted by the pandemic and he only played 4 games. As a senior, his accuracy ticked up slightly but his output in yards and touchdowns dipped.

Denegal looks the part of a big time pocket passer. He has the size and cannon arm. Denegal isn't a runner, but he's mobile enough to move the pocket. He impressed many at Elite 11, where he showed off his accuracy on short and deep throws. He has good touch for a big arm. The question is, with these two years to develop, has Denegal been able to add all the throws he'll need as a starter?

Long time target of the 2024 class, Jadyn Davis. I normally would not include a freshman QB in a battle at Michigan, but this competition is wide-open. McCarthy didn't even truly push as a freshman, but there is no Cade McNamara on this team, either.

Davis is a top 5 quarterback in the 2024 class and was recruited by all of the elite programs in the country, Alabama, Clemson, and rival Ohio State to name a few. Davis is ahead of schedule in many ways when it comes to difficult throws like hard outs and deep corner routes. He shows incredible touch at multiple passing depths and is very accurate, completing over 70% of his throws. Davis has some mechanics issues that will need to be worked on in Ann Arbor, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Davis became a controversial recruit of sorts as he slipped down the rankings in his senior season. As I said, Davis isn't perfect and has things to work on, but his intangibles are off the charts. He's a winner, winning two State Championships at Providence Day. He's a leader and already a thoughtful speaker. Davis isn't going to throw across the field as McCarthy did as a freshman, but with a high football IQ, an accurate arm, and his intangibles, the door is cracked open for Davis to be a part of this competition.

Davis is an early enrollee and has already spent time around the program during bowl practices. It's a long shot, more than likely, but don't count him out.

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