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

Option #3: Scour the lesser ranked QB’s in search of an upside QB

Michigan did this last cycle after missing out on top targets like Cade Klubnik, Maalik Murphy, and Nate Johnson, taking three-star QB’s Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji.

Both are intriguing players with some measurable upside, but neither bring the heralded recruiting profile that many fans (and coaches) want to see. The Wolverines could be in that position once again if they miss out on Moore, needing to find a passer with unrealized upside in the pool of three-star recruits.

Given Matt Weiss’ rumored preference for quarterbacks with some dual-threat capacity, a couple of options stick out, such as three-star QB Darius Cowens (CA), a 6’0 dual-threat QB who received some positive buzz at the OT7 event that featured bigger names like Dante Moore and Jadyn Davis. He holds offers from Arizona State and Colorado State at the moment, meaning Michigan would certainly step in as his biggest offer if they chose to.

Flipping three-star Oregon State commit Aidan Chiles could also be a wise move, as he’s a similar profile to both Denegal and Orji, a bigger prospect (6’4) with a big arm, and mobility closer to Orji than Denegal.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, we all hope that Moore’s recruitment ends up the same way Donovan Edwards’ did: the hometown star circling back around and landing at Michigan. However, if that does not happen, Michigan will need to be prepared and ready to jump into some new recruitments quickly. While the “all-in on Dante” strategy certainly makes sense, there is a significant risk to it, and Michigan will need to mitigate that risk by being prepared if the worst does indeed happen.

If so, Michigan will need to move quickly on a 2023 passer with upside, while putting the full court press on getting five-star QB Jadyn Davis (2024 class) back on campus for the BBQ later this summer.

It feels a bit eerily similar to the 2022 QB process, where fans convinced themselves missing on top targets was not problematic because of the options they were in good standing for in the next class, but focusing on the next big recruit is really all they can do.