It's Official: MSU Rival Michigan Loses Orji, QB Insurance

The Michigan Wolverines sold the farm to get top quarterback prospect Bryce Underwood. In doing so, they alienated themselves from Alex Orji and a host of other Maize and Blue signal callers.
Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs against Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs against Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's official.

Per his own announcement, Michigan quarterback Alex Orji has jumped ship via the transfer portal and signed with UNLV and new Rebels head coach Dan Mullens.

"It felt like a great opportunity to go out to Vegas with Coach Mullen and Coach Dennis. It's an opportunity to cultivate winning culture," the quarterback said in a statement to ESPN.

The 6-foot-3, 235 pound quarterback has two years of eligibility left. Orji competed for the starting job throughout 2024 but was unable to lock it down, like the rest of the Wolverines' quarterback carousel. He finished the season with 150 yards passing, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He had a touchdown and 269 rushing yards as well.

Per Michigan On SI's Trent Knoop, "Coach Mullen has a history of developing a run-first quarterback like Orji. Although the Rebels went 11-3 this past year and lost to Boise State in the Mountain West Championship Game, UNLV will likely look like a new team next year under Mullen. With Orji agreeing to play for him, it's likely he has a great chance of starting Year 1 for Mullen."

Once touted as potentially the next great Michigan quarterback and heir apparent to first-round Wolverine J.J. McCarthy, Orji didn't pan out in Ann Arbor. It was evident early on that he had trouble processing post-snap, which is ostensibly a death sentence for quarterbacks. He originally lost the battle for QB1 to Michigan walk-on Davis Warren, touching off a year of abysmal quarterback play for the maize and blue.

Perhaps the final nail in the coffin for Orji's tenure in Ann Arbor was Michigan's high-profile recruitment and flip of 2025 No. 1 prospect, phenom quarterback Bryce Underwood. Underwood was offered $10 million in NIL, an absurd amount for a high school talent that would instantly put him above some of the highest earners in college athletics. And I'm not just talking about football.

Losing Orji, despite his flaws, means the Wolverines will be on shakier ground regarding quarterback depth than they would have been with him. If the injury bug bites, they could be in big trouble. That's not even considering performance issues at the top of the depth chart, either.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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