Alex Orji Brings Raw Talent, Leadership, And Dual-Threat Potential To UNLV QB Battle

After transferring from Michigan, Alex Orji is turning heads at UNLV with his elite athleticism, strong arm, and the unwavering praise of coaches and trainers who see star potential in the dual-threat quarterback.

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji (10) drops back to pass in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

After losing starting quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams this offseason to graduation, the UNLV Rebels football team has looked to the transfer portal to fill the void left at the starting quarterback position. One of the quarterbacks they brought in to compete for the starting job is Alex Orji from the Michigan Wolverines. The dual-threat quarterback was buried on the depth chart at Michigan and lacks experience and playing time. While there isn't a ton of film on him, if you listen to what his former coaches, teammates, and trainers say, they rave about his work ethic, leadership, and skill set.

Quincy Avery, a private instructor who works with quarterbacks such as Jalen Hurts, CJ Stroud, and Justin Fields, raved about his work ethic:

"I've never seen that happen," Avery told FOX Sports. "I've trained a lot of guys who it wasn't like a competition, it wasn't debatable who was going to start, right? It was, ‘They are the incumbent starter, they're the guy.' But I've never seen anything like what I saw with Alex. So to me, that said a lot... I think it's sometimes tough for guys who are that strong and that well-built to become fluid and flexible throwers. But I think that learning the right mechanics and those things are going to allow him to thrive. But it's going to take time, right? He's going to be, I think, a good thrower at first, but he's going to continue to be a great quarterback and just continue to evolve."

His high school head coach, Mark Behrens, described him as "a man amongst boys" and described his powerful arm and how he progressed as a QB:

"He has a rocket arm," Behrens said. "He's learned how to control that thing. I mean, it was nothing but fastballs, Nolan Ryan fastballs, for that first year. We really didn't have anybody who could catch it. Then he started figuring out when he can and when he couldn't do that."

His former director of strength and conditioning, Ben Herbert, talked about his natural ability as a quarterback and as a leader:

"He has this natural ability to — and I don't say this often — but I said it about J.J. [McCarthy] and I'll say it to you now about Alex," Herbert said. "If [Orji] is like, ‘Hey Herb, let's go,' it's not like [I'm going to ask], ‘Where are we going? What are we doing?' I'm walking behind him, I'm following him, I'm choosing to follow him. There's not a lot of people at this point [who] I look at that way. He's just one of those guys, you know? He's at the forefront. He's willing and able to do all things. And you just see that emerge day after day after day.