At the beginning of fall camp ahead of the 2023 football season, Michigan had a clear identity on offense, and perhaps most importantly, a quarterback it felt could lead the Wolverines well in fulfilling that identity for the first time since arguably 2019 with Shea Patterson.

After years of quarterback battles and injuries, Michigan felt entirely comfortable with J.J. McCarthy ahead of the 2023 season, which ultimately concluded with the team winning the national championship.

This year, though, Michigan is, in a sense, back in a familiar position. The former quarterback battles that featured Cade McNamara, Joe Milton and Dylan McCaffrey have seemingly resurfaced.

The Wolverines do not have a clear starter at the most important position on the field, which comes with pros and cons.

Third-year athletic specimen Alex Orji is presumed to be the leader in the quarterback room with just over a month until the season begins, but with fall camp less than two weeks away, Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle will have ample opportunity to push for the starting role.

Each player has his own strengths and weaknesses. Orji is a 6-foot-3, 236-pound dual-threat quarterback who has enormous athletic upside but lacks in-game experience. Warren has been at Michigan longer than any quarterback on the roster, which has given him time to get well acquainted with the offensive system, but his ceiling appears limited. Tuttle, meanwhile, has attempted more passes than all of Michigan's quarterback room combined, but there are also questions about just how high his ceiling is.

On Tuesday, junior cornerback Will Johnson sat down with members of the media at an NIL photoshoot for Wolverine Boots to discuss the upcoming season.

Johnson was asked about how Orji compares to Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, whom the Wolverines saw in the 2024 Rose Bowl.

"That's a good comparison," Johnson said. "He can do things with his legs; he can make the big throws; he's exciting. He definitely gave us a great look going into the 'Bama game — couldn't get a better look than that, obviously, so it was definitely a great help for us."

"I think Alex is even more of a physical freak — physically imposing," Johnson said. "The way he runs, the way he does things, but yeah, I think they're obviously a good comp because they're both super athletic, Black QBs. They both got strong arms, so I'm excited to see how it goes, too, with Alex."

Junior tight end Colston Loveland added that Orji is a "leader" on offense following the departure of McCarthy. Loveland acknowledged himself, Donovan Edwards and Orji as offensive leaders heading into 2024.

As for Tuttle, the seventh-year veteran, Loveland says he has been getting back on the field, slinging the football around as he continues his return from offseason shoulder surgery.

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