The Michigan Wolverines are searching for their next quarterback this spring in an effort to maintain the maize and blue at a level that can win titles.
So far this offseason, Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal are the two players who have drawn the most interest. It’s time to concentrate on Denegal, the redshirt sophomore who is attracting the attention of his new offensive coordinator early in the spring. We’ve already discussed what Orji could offer.
The native of Apple Valley, California arrived in the 2022 class alongside Orji. Denegal has always been a pocket passer, but Orji was the athlete and dual-threat option. In high school, he passed for over 4,600 yards and 69 touchdowns. In his final season, he completed 69.1% of his throws. Thanks to these accomplishments, 247Sports rated him as the No. 19 quarterback in the class, giving him a three-star rating.
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Denegal saw a little more play in 2023 after sitting out his first season and making a brief appearance in the 2022 victory over UConn. But it did not materialize in a resounding victory over UNLV in the team’s opening game of the season, and head coach Jim Harbaugh was not pleased that Davis Warren saw action prior to Denegal.
We made a mistake and are currently examining the backup quarterback. Davis Warren was selected by Coach (Mike) Hart ahead of Denegal, Harbaugh remarked following the match. “We really need to see Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal this week (against Bowling Green), but we also really need to assess our current situation regarding Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji.”
Denegal’s second chance came two weeks later in Michigan’s victory over Nebraska. After Tuttle had a possession in the third quarter, he was the third quarterback to see the field. Denegal took the Wolverines on a 10-play, 50-yard drive during which he ran for 10 yards and found Peyton O’Leary for his first-ever touchdown pass:
Denegal ran for an additional 10 yards on four carries in addition to finishing the season 4-for-5 for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Orji is the group’s most athletic freak, but Kirk Campbell, the new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in Ann Arbor, has made Denegal the talk of the town.
“He was, in my opinion, the most improved offensive player,” Campbell stated during an interview with Jon Jansen on In the Trenches. “From my experience as an analyst, I was able to leave my mark on him, shaping and growing him in some ways. He has come a long way in the past year.
“The biggest issue with Denny is his size. He’s going to be a live-action quarterback who breaks tackles with the same vigor as Ben Roethlisberger. Even while something might not seem attractive in practice, it might not be a bag in the actual game. He brushes it aside, thinking it’s simply an arm crossing his chest. We are aware of this, and in order to evaluate if he can demonstrate such skills, we need to place him in scenarios akin to games.
Campbell says he needs to improve on a few things, including his footwork and football throwing technique. Although his bulk allows him to hunker down in the pocket and absorb hits from opponents, he will need to adapt to some of the top pass rushers in college football when they come at him from Texas, Oregon, and Ohio State. The biggest obstacle to him being the starter at the collegiate level might be getting him up to game speed.