Orji 'Hungry' to Be All He Can Be for Wolverines
Michigan quarterback discusses motivation, QB competition, bowling celebration and more
Photos by Derek Kornacki
Alex Orji, a strong candidate to replace J.J. McCarthy as Michigan’s quarterback, scored the first touchdown of the spring game on an 18-yard run. Defensive back Keshaun Harris (No. 36) and linebacker Ernest Hausmann (No. 15) pursue for the Maize while receiver Peyton O’Leary (No. 8 1) celebrates for the Blue. Quarterbacks wore white in the game.
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Hunger.
It was the one word that kept occurring to me during Saturday’s Michigan spring football game. Here they were, the defending national champions, and yet they seemed as hungry as last year’s team on its quest for the title that had eluded them for so long.
The returning Michigan starters, they wanted more.
Those vying to replace starters, they wanted theirs.
Alex Orji -- the junior from Sachse (Texas) High who saw playing time behind superstar quarterback J.J. McCarthy against Ohio State, Iowa, Alabama and Washington -- is expected to be the new starter. He said something after the spring game that struck me as quite interesting.
“Me and [quarterback] Jayden Denegal live together – we’re roommates,” said Orji. “So, we’re always talking. We’ve got a white board in the crib [like those coaches use to diagram plays and list details], and we write stuff up on it all the time.
“We can call Coach Kirk [Campbell] as late as 11 o’clock. We can call him any time, really. He’s always helping us, feeling out different stuff…It’s just being able to be a sponge that you can absorb stuff, and get it squeezed out and give it to other people.”
Denegal is another quality candidate vying to replace McCarthy. Seniors Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle and true freshman Jadyn Davis also are in the running.
Hunger is what helps take players to great heights, and I asked Orji about his hunger to be all he can be.
“I’m hungry for a new rep every day,” he said. “I think that I’m hungry for – whenever me and Jadyn Davis are on the same team – I’m hungry for him to get reps. I’m hungry for him to get those in-game, live reps.
“Whatever it is, I’m hungry to get. We got four rings this morning in our [championship] ring ceremony, and I’m hungry to get some more. Whatever it takes to put us back on top, to stay on top. Even if we’re on top of college football, I want to keep taking this hard. You know, whoever goes out on Saturdays, whatever 11 take the field, I want to make sure I’m doing whatever I can in being selfless in my pursuit of excellence to make the whole team great.”
Orji has a truly powerful arm, and there’s a video on Twitter of him uncorking a ball for Sachse thrown on the run and across his body that traveled 60 yards in the air, hitting his receiver in stride for a touchdown.
It’s a mind-blower play.
And yet Orji – who has one completion for 5 yards as a Wolverine -- wasn’t called to throw the deep ball in the spring game, won 17-7 by the Maize over the Blue.
So, he was asked about his ability to go deep.
“Yeah, I think I can pretty decently,” Orji said. “…They’re letting me know the whole playbook is open. Throughout the start of spring, Coach [Kirk] Campbell [the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach] really helped me a lot with being comfortable in certain situations, and feeling out the field.
“I learned a ton from J.J. last year – specifically like how to get the ball out on the run. I mean, you saw Davis’ deep ball today [a 42-yard TD to Kendrick Bell with perfect touch and timing for the Maize]. He’s the guru of all things QB mechanics and awesome to talk to. And Jayden Denegal [who threw a 32-yard TD to speedy Fredrick Moore for the Maize] has as big of an arm as anyone. So, talking to the guys and getting different stuff from them, it’s like, whoever comes out on Saturdays is the summation of the whole room put together.”
Orji said the improvements he’s made have been a matter of getting “reps,” and noted that he’s worked on the “short, intermediate to deep” routes with Campbell.
He would enter games last season as a change of pace, and had 15 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown.
“Last year,” said Orji, “finding ways to get the ball in my hand was the biggest compliment.”
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh saw to that. Even if Orji’s playing time wasn’t to the same extent that McCarthy received backing up Cade McNamara as a freshman, Harbaugh got him into “The Rivalry,” the Rose Bowl and the national title game. That will enable his heart to beat a bit slower if he can experience those big games as a starter.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore replaced Harbaugh, now coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Orji was asked if the transition’s been seamless.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have felt right. You know, we didn’t really think about it until we were a few practices in. Then it was like, ‘This is our guy! That is a Michigan man.’ He went from tight ends to O-line to O.C. to head coach. He earned it. Everything he’s done, he’s just different.
“It’s who he is. He’s family. He’s a role model for us, and we just like being around him, to have camaraderie with him. It’s awesome.”
Orji is on fire – in love with being a Wolverine.
And hungry, real hungry.
Orji mis-fired on his first two passes Saturday, but then completed a fourth-and-3 pass for 6 yards to Max Bredeson. Then he hit Peyton O’Leary for 23 yards on third-and-5 before finishing the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run.
After that score, we learned that the Wolverines also have been practicing an elaborate celebration routine. The 10 offensive players on the field lined up like bowling pins in a tight triangle, and Orji rolled the football into the pocket for a perfect strike, hitting front pin Donovan Edwards. The offensive players fell to the turf, with O’Leary being the final “pin” to drop.
“Part of the spring game is being able to celebrate,” said Orji. “Into the season, we handle it like professionals, like we’ve been there before. We hand the ball to the ref. This was just part of the spring celebration.
“Being able to do it in front of the fans, in the Big House, the best stadium in the world, is just fun.”
Bowling turns out being a natural celebration choice for this group.
“The family that we are – we’ll go QB bowling or we’ll go eat at a downtown restaurant as a group,” Orji said. “Yeah, we’re competing…But we’re all family. We thrive off the competition, but also off of the family atmosphere.”
Orji played in the first quarter and came back with the Blue down by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter for a must-score drive. He drove the team to the 5-yard line, and appeared to score on a fourth-and-one run. However, he was ruled down on a tag near the line of scrimmage in a scrimmage where tackling the quarterback wasn’t allowed.
Orji had a slight limp when scoring before learning he had not actually scored. He told reporters he was fine, though.
Spring practice was over.
The next time we see the Wolverines, Fresno State will be in town for the Aug. 31 opener. Then Texas visits for the first big game in a season that will have plenty of them.
Orji could very well take the first snap.
One thing’s for sure – you know he’ll be hungry.
I liked what I saw of Orji in the soring game. I hope that limp at the end of the game isn’t serious.
Caring about your teammates and not being selfish leads to that close-knit bond, for sure, Bob. This is a tight team ready to keep moving forward.