How Michigan football QB Davis Warren has improved since his last start

Footwork and Mechanics

I talked a lot about footwork when I broke down Davis' game against Texas earlier in the season. One of the biggest problems then was him not setting his feet to be able to drive throws accurately. Warren looked a lot better in this regard against the Spartans. I think a lot of it comes down to playing more confidently. He also doesn't have the same threat behind him at quarterback now that we've seen Orji struggle as well and Tuttle has officially retired.

The results were obviously the best they've been all season, but more importantly the mechanics that determine those results were much improved. This gives me a lot of confidence that Warren will continue to play his best football down the stretch.

What this Means Going Forward

I think Michigan football has finally found its quarterback system for the rest of the year. Warren is the starter and Orji has a role as a wildcat quarterback to help in running situations. I think that this will provide a lot of stability to the team and allow them to play their best football in the final four games of the regular season. Unfortunately, they have to play three top 12 teams, including 2 top 4 teams, in that stretch.

I would try to find a larger role for Orji outside of just being a wildcat quarterback -- maybe on special teams, as a reciever, or even on defense. Any way the Wolverines can utilize his athleticism and leadership is going to be really helpful. I'd also stick with Warren for the rest of the year. The playoffs are out of the picture so I'd allow him to go out, learn, make mistakes, and improve. This should be a trial for him to see if he could be your starting quarterback next season. I expect the Wolverines to go to the transfer portal as well as continue pursuing Bryce Underwood. But if Warren can continue to improve and show that Saturday was how he can play consistently, he might be enough to get back to the playoffs next season. And worst case scenario you have a player in the room who has a ton of experience for next year.

Can Warren lead Michigan football to victories over Oregon and Ohio State? I don't know. But he can definitely play good clean football and give Michigan a fighting chance with all the other talent on their roster. The expectation for this team simply has to be playing their best ball in the month of November and building momentum into next season.