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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Editor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Davis Warren never thought of leaving Michigan.
The quarterback remains grateful that former Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh gave him the opportunity to join the team as a preferred reserve in 2021. His life and career have changed in the past three years, from a cancer diagnosis in high school to his senior season being canceled due to COVID-19. Warren’s path to the starting job has been blocked and may never open, but he wants the chance, however slim, to lead the Wolverines’ offense.
Warren’s chance came Saturday night, when he emerged as the surprise winner of an offseason contest to replace JJ McCarthy and take a shot at the reigning national champions. Warren had some expected knocks in his first start but helped ninth-ranked Michigan open the season with a 30-10 win over Fresno State at Michigan Stadium.
“I never wavered,” Warren said. “I never had any interest in leaving or going anywhere else. I wanted to be here. And obviously there have been some ups and downs along the way, but I felt really good tonight.
“I have thought about this day for a long time and imagined it a lot.”
Warren competed in camp with Alex Orjiwho played in the spots on Saturday and will continue to have a role. But first-year Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Warren has created separation.
“He finally won the job last week, really,” said Moore, who did not publicly announce his starter before the opener. “He’s just settled in, taken care of the ball, made plays against the defenses you see out there. They’ve played hard for both of them.” [quarterbacks]But he ended up taking the job and winning it. That made the decision easier for us.”
Warren entered Saturday’s game with 14 career pass attempts, 89 yards and one interception. After playing five games in 2022, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Los Angeles native appeared in three games last season and had five pass attempts.
Warren finds star tight end Colston Loveland eight times for 87 yards and an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking Michigan’s best drive of the game after Fresno State cut the Wolverines’ lead to 16-10 with 10:06 left. Warren also had a punt intercepted. Frederick Moore and, like the rest of Michigan’s offense, endured some mid-game struggles. The Wolverines converted 4 of 11 third-down opportunities and entered the end zone just twice.
“We can’t let ourselves get caught in third-and-long,” Warren said. “We have to keep moving the chains. It’s up to all of us. But I’m very proud of the way the guys fought. In the end.” [touchdown] driving, that’s Michigan football. That’s the motivation we needed.”
Warren said he felt “a range of emotions” when he learned he had earned the starting job and reflected on his journey and those who helped him. He was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2019 and underwent chemotherapy before returning to play four games in the 2019 season. His 2020 high school season was wiped out by COVID-19.
Before Friday’s practice at Michigan, Warren visited Finn Kennedy, a 14-year-old boy from Colorado who has Down syndrome and was diagnosed with leukemia in 2022.
“Coach Moore and I had a great time with him,” Warren said. “It just put things in perspective, and reminded me of why I want to go out there every day, and work my ass off for these guys and this team. And I think that helped me take a little bit of the anxiety off, just knowing that I was ready for this opportunity.”
Although Warren took the first snaps for Michigan, Orji ended the team’s opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Edwards. Orji, used as a switch-play quarterback in 2023 behind McCarthy, had five runs for 32 yards while completing just one other pass.
Warren said he did not think Orji’s introduction would disrupt the attacking rhythm.
“That’s football,” Moore said. “It’s not always perfect. It’s going to be up and down. I thought the play callers did a great job, and we have to execute their plays, whether it’s on offense or defense.”
Kalel Mullings led Michigan’s running game with 92 yards on 15 carries, but the Wolverines, with a new offensive line, averaged just 4.4 yards per run, and Edwards struggled to get going. Michigan had three offensive players from the national championship team selected in April’s NFL draft.
The Wolverines finally have their quarterback in Warren but may need to get back to more consistent physical form as they prepare to host No. 4 Texas, which opened the season with a 52-0 win over Colorado State.
“Sometimes it was there, and sometimes we lacked it,” Loveland said. “Maybe someone wasn’t stressed enough, whether it was the linebacker, the offensive lineman, the receiver, wasn’t stressed enough. But we were able to rally there at the end of the game. … As people say, there’s a lot of meat on the bones. We could have stressed a little more, as a whole.”
