Sherrone Moore sets the record straight on QB announcement

Meeting with the media on Monday, Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore surprised a lot of people when he announced that Alex Orji would be the starting quarterback against USC this Saturday. Although a change at quarterback was expected after senior Davis Warren tossed three interceptions against Arkansas State last weekend, many believed that Moore made a mistake by tipping his hand. According to the critics, Moore's decision to give USC a week to prepare for Alex Orji only served as another example of a rookie head coach making the wrong decision.

Moore doesn't see it that way.

Appearing on the 97.1′s “Stoney and Jansen” show this week, the first-year head coach explained why he made the decision to announce that change on Monday.

“For us, the players, to see me announce it to everybody else, understand the confidence I have in Alex," Moore said. "I think it was important I did that. I just think it was an important thing for us to do as a program.”

Michigan Football — Sep 14, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji (10) passes second half against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

While I do think there's some validity to the idea that keeping it secret would have been a good move, I also know that we live in a world where leaks are commonplace. Even if Moore had kept the decision in-house, someone would have leaked it to the media and it would have become a story anyway. On top of that, Lincoln Riley isn't an amateur head coach. USC was on a bye week last weekend, and there's no question the Trojans tuned in to watch Michigan take on Arkansas State. They saw the three interceptions from Warren, they saw the quarterback change, and they were likely already planning for Orji long before an announcement came out of Ann Arbor.

Not surprisingly, Moore said that the turnovers were the primary reason for his decision to make a switch at quarterback.

“The biggest thing we say as a program is that we’ve got to take care of the football. The football was put in jeopardy too many times. It’s Orji’s time to give him a chance. He went in there, executed and we’re ready for him to take the reins.”

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