Wolverine Digest

With options running out, Sherrone Moore has a clear choice at quarterback

Chris Breiler

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Meeting with the media on Monday, head coach Sherrone Moore declined to name a starting quarterback for Saturday's upcoming matchup against Michigan State. He did, however, make it clear that the quarterback play hasn't been good enough. After cycling through three veteran options in seven weeks, the Wolverines have managed to put together one of the worst passing offenses in the entire nation.

Senior Davis Warren was the starting quarterback to begin the season, but he was benched against Arkansas State after throwing his sixth interception in three weeks. Junior Alex Orji was the next man up, and while he largely avoided committing costly turnovers, it quickly became apparent that he wasn't effective enough as a passer to be a viable option. It seemed like the Wolverines had finally found a solution when seventh year veteran Jack Tuttle was healthy enough to play. But after a promising half of football against Washington, Tuttle's turnover issues played a huge role in Michigan suffering its third loss of the season - effectively ending any shot at competing in the 12-team playoff.

Given what we've seen from each of the three options mentioned above, it's hard to imagine why you would go back to any of them, particularly when you have a borderline five-star freshman staring you right in the face.

On Monday, head coach Sherrone Moore was asked specifically about Jadyn Davis and what he needed to do in order to become an option at quarterback.

"Continue to learn the system and learn the playbook," Moore said. "Continue to improve his strength and what's in his toolbox. So he's definitely continuing to progress."

In other words, Moore doesn't think Davis is ready.

While I understand the hesitancy of throwing a true freshman quarterback into a struggling offense, there's no question that it's the best option for the football program at this point. None of the veteran options have proven capable of leading this offense, and while Davis may be young an inexperienced, he's also viewed as the future. Practice reps are good, but we all know there's nothing that can replicate the experience that comes from playing on fall Saturdays. With a shot at the conference championship and playoffs off the table, the time to start preparing for next year is now. There are five regular season games left on the schedule, and Moore has the opportunity to figure out exactly what he has in his freshman quarterback.

Knowing what you have in Davis can also better prepare you for the decisions you need to make in the transfer portal in the near future. If Davis shows you enough to be confident that he's the guy next year, then you likely go after a veteran transfer who's happy playing a backup role. But if there's any doubt as to whether or not Davis is the guy based on the results from the next several weeks, then maybe you're a little more aggressive in going after a high-level portal QB who can be your starter in 2025.

We discuss all of that and more in the latest episode of The Winged Helmet podcast:

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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