Does Michigan Football have a contingency plan at QB in 2023?

While five-star quarterback Dante Moore remains uncommitted, there are some rumblings that Oregon could be the leader for the Wolverines’ top target, so we take a look at some potential fallback options if the worst does indeed come to pass.

First off, let me be clear – This is not a panic post. As several insiders, such as On3’s E.J. Holland and others have reported, there is still optimism for Michigan football about landing five-star QB Dante Moore out of Detroit.

However, some other reliable sources, such as 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong, have indicated Michigan may not be a lock to land Moore, and may actually be running behind programs like Oregon and LSU.

Jim Harbaugh and co. have certainly made Moore a priority, essentially putting all their eggs in one basket, which begs the question: What happens if that strategy fails, and Moore ends up at a school other than Michigan?

There’s a very real possibility that happens, so let’s explore some potential options Michigan football could explore.

Option #1: Pursue some of the top uncommitted QB’s left in the class

While quarterbacks tend to commit earlier into the process than some other positions, there still are a handful of top prospects that are still uncommitted at this point.

These players can be realistic targets if Michigan football turns up the heat quickly, but some of them simply are like Moore, taking their time, but focused on a smaller group that Michigan may not be able to force their way into.

For example, the top-overall prospect in the class, Arch Manning, is still uncommitted, and while Michigan has offered Manning, he’s effectively down to just Alabama, Georgia, and Texas at this point. Similar for top-50 prospect Jaden Rashada out of California, who is focused on LSU, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, and even has a commitment date set for later this week.

So what options are viable for the Wolverines to jump into so late? Well, the most intriguing would arguably be four-star QB Avery Johnson out of Maize, Kansas. He’s ranked as the twelfth best passer in the class, and currently has a top group of Oregon, Washington, and Kansas State.

If Oregon ends up landing Moore, however, that would likely take them out of the running and certainly create an opening for the Wolverines to make a push, that is, if Johnson is not committed to a school like Kansas State before that.

Really the only other top-25 quarterbacks (positionally) in this class that still are on the market are ninth-ranked QB Dylan Lonergan (GA) and eighteenth-ranked QB Brock Glenn (TN), and both are considered significant leans towards SEC programs at this point, with South Carolina holding 100% of the Crystal Ball predictions for Lonergan, and Auburn in the same position with Glenn.