Unlike the year prior, the 2023 Michigan football team’s Spring Game wasn’t accompanied by a quarterback controversy. Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy is entrenched as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback, and it’s more a fact than an assertion.
So while the Spring Game provided an opportunity for a handful of quarterbacks to see game action, it was a practice less about finding Michigan’s main passing threat and more about checking for depth. And with an up-and-down afternoon, the quarterback’s room showed flashes of deep talent, but also combined for four interceptions and a fumble — showing clear room for improvement.
McCarthy for his part came into the game with very low stakes and didn’t make any major splashes in the one half he played. Wearing a white non-contact jersey — meaning scrambling was off the table — McCarthy mostly stayed in the pocket and finished going 7-for-10 with 84 yards, a touchdown and one interception off an overthrown ball.
But alongside McCarthy’s performance, graduate transfer quarterback Jack Tuttle, junior quarterback Davis Warren and sophomore quarterback Alex Orji all got opportunities to showcase their talents.
Tuttle for his part showed off his ground game. A graduate transfer from Indiana, he broke free for several decent gains in the first quarter and used his legs in read-option and play action scenarios effectively.
“He’s an athletic guy,” Warren said of Tuttle. “He has a ton of experience and is definitely willing to use his legs to make plays.”
In his passing game, Tuttle started strong with a systematic drive that ended up in the endzone, but faded after that, throwing a pick and fumbling later in his performance.
Warren for his part showed poise, ending his half-day with a team-leading 163 yards and several key plays. Warren, a former walk-on elevated to scholarship status this year, succeeded with straightforward passing plays that turned into big gains. Late in the third quarter, Warren connected with senior tight end Matthew Hibner on a routine crossing route, and Hibner picked up 52-yards before tripping on his own feet.
But while Warren’s highs showed the depth of the quarterback room behind McCarthy, his lows showed that there’s still places he — and the other backups — can grow. Late in the third, Warren’s Maize team had just been gifted prime field position following a fumble. But on the next play he sailed a ball into the hands of sophomore defensive back Myles Pollard who returned it for 29 yards.
Orji, in his limited time, also showed some flashes too. He went 4-for-6 with 47 yards, but his biggest moment came on a 41-yard connection with freshman wide receiver Frederick Moore.
With McCarthy as the starter and three clear options behind him, there is apparent depth in the Wolverines’ quarterback room. Tuttle brings mobility and Warren brings a strong pocket presence, and for Michigan, that inspires confidence.
“The quarterback room is complete,” Hibner said. “… It’s almost like, when you go out and run routes you can’t even tell who’s throwing the ball because it’s all the same.”
But with the depth of the room comes competition, not for McCarthy’s spot but for the No. 2 role. And while Warren, Tuttle and Orji showed what they bring to that competition on Saturday, the answer, like the games each played, isn’t fully complete.