BREAKING: Davis Warren wins Michigan football starting quarterback job

The Wolverines have chosen their starting quarterback, and it's not the guy any of us expected throughout the summer...

Matt Lounsberry | Aug 31, 2024

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren (16) warms up before the Indiana game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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After months of speculation and anxiously waiting, we finally know who QB1 is for Michigan Football in 2024. Davis Warren, the redshirt junior who began his career as a walk-on in Michigan's 2020 class, gets the start for the reigning national champion Wolverines in their season-opener against Fresno State.

It's a remarkable story for the Los Angeles native, who was diagnosed with leukemia as a high school junior in March 2019, lost 35 pounds during chemotherapy and wasn't sure if he'd ever play football again. Warren then saw his senior season of football cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had little-to-no way of getting noticed by college recruiters.

Warren reached out to Michigan and then-head coach Jim Harbaugh with a combination of practice tape and game film from his underclassmen seasons at Loyola (Calif.) High School. It was enough to earn a preferred walk-on offer from the Wolverines. He would eventually earn a scholarship and showcase his abilities in a pair of spring games at Michigan.

Now, in his fourth year with the program and after overcoming unimaginable odds, Warren is Michigan's starting quarterback. The redshirt junior has plenty to prove, having completed just 5-of-14 pass attempts for 89 yards with an interception in his college career. However, he did enough this spring, summer and fall to earn the nod from head coach Sherrone Moore.

As for Alex Orji, the perceived favorite to win the starting quarterback job throughout most of the offseason, the redshirt sophomore is still expected to play tonight against the Bulldogs and have a role in the Wolverines' offense this fall. Orji had attempted just one pass in his collegiate career — a five-yard completion in 2022. However, the third-year quarterback brings an unique skillset with his big-bodied frame and running ability.

It remains to be seen how Moore and offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell will utilize both Warren and Orji this season, but we're about to find out.

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