The answer always seems so obvious sitting on the couch.
There’s no question that Michigan football has one of the least productive quarterback rooms in America, which has in turn translated to the worst passing attack of any team in the Power Four conferences.
In the first year under head coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan has bounced from former walk-on Davis Warren, to run-first option Alex Orji, to most recently seventh-year signal caller “Uncle” Jack Tuttle who has now officially thrown more interceptions (7) in his career than touchdowns (6).
Michigan quarterback Jadyn Davis (2) warms up before the USC game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
Because of the debacle at the position, the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2) will almost certainly not reach any of their major goals this year: no Big Ten title game, no College Football Playoff and no national championship.
When Moore addressed media Monday afternoon, he doubled down on the postgame comments he made after Michigan’s most recent 21-7 loss to Illinois saying “we’ll see” as it pertains to who starts at QB this week.
By Monday evening on “Inside Michigan Football” Moore did divulge the plan (at least initially) is for Tuttle to start this week and to simplify the offense for everyone involved. But with the goals out of reach and none of the three tested QBs seeming like a viable option for next year, the question has popped up (especially in our email inboxes) many times: what about that highly rated freshman?
That is Jadyn Davis, a four-star recruit from Charlotte, North Carolina (Providence Day School) who was rated the No. 112 player in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
When the Freep spoke with Kirk Campbell last winter, he called fixing Davis’ throwing mechanics “an offseason project” and that’s not to mention all the other intangibles required to lead a Big Ten offense.
Moore was asked Monday about where he fits into the picture.
Michigan quarterback commit Jadyn Davis arrives for the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
“Just continue to learn to learn the system, learn the playbook, which I think he has done a good job of,” Michigan’s head man said of what he needs to do to see the field. “And continue to improve his strength and his things in his toolbox. So he’s definitely continued to progress”
Davis stands 6 feet 1, 205 pounds and has the most upside of anybody currently in the room. However, that doesn’t mean that he’s ready at the his moment or that throwing him into the fire is necessarily worth it.
The North Carolina Gatorade Football Player of the Year was an early enrollee a season ago and participated in practices ahead of both the Rose Bowl and national championship after he completed 204-for-288 (70.8%) for 3,370 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a senior.
He’s yet to play in a game this year, but he is allowed to play in as many as four games and maintain redshirt eligibility.
The Wolverines are still in win-now mode ahead of their rivalry game against Michigan State (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) which seems as if it will be closer than most anybody predicted at the season’s outset eight weeks back.
Moore said Saturday nobody wants to be in the position of playing four quarterbacks, but it’s starting to feel as though there’s a non-zero chance Davis could see time if none of the other options in the room take a step forward. And it could theoretically happen pretty quickly.
“Just probably progression and knowledge of, not only the system, but just football in general,” Moore said of where he’s taken the most notable strides. “When you’re in high school, you do limited things. You’re limited in what you do. And he’s definitely taking steps to put himself in a good position.”
