Wolverine Digest

JUST IN: Michigan gets big boost at QB ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl

Chris Breiler

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The quarterback picture for Michigan has been fluid in recent weeks, with two of the QB's announcing they'd be entering the transfer portal. One of those quarterbacks to enter was Alex Orji. During his three year career in Ann Arbor, Orji appeared in 20 games at quarterback and made three starts during the 2024 season. But with Orji entering the portal, along with veteran QB Jack Tuttle announcing his retirement from the game during the season, there were real questions about Michigan's QB depth heading into the Reliaquest Bowl against Alabama.

With the team now in Tampa to prepare for the matchup, a team spokesman confirmed to MLive that Orji did travel with the team and still intends on playing in the bowl game. Having Orji available is huge for a Michigan team that doesn't have much depth or experience at the position at this point in the season.

Although he'll participate in the bowl game, the expectation is that Orji will still transfer in the near future. And given Michigan's activity at that position in recent weeks (the signing of Bryce Underwood and landing veteran Mikey Keene out of the portal), it's hard to see a scenario where Orji could make a meaningful impact at the position moving forward. There was some speculation that he may be open to making a position change, but any position he'd be moving to (tight end, linebacker, or even running back) already has guys who are well-established at the position.

But regardless of what happens in the future, there's no question that having Orji available for the Reliaquest Bowl is huge for the Michigan Wolverines.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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