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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Davis Warren never thought about leaving Michigan.
The quarterback remained grateful that former Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh offered him a chance to join the team as a preferred walk-on in 2021. His life and career had changed in the previous three years, from a cancer diagnosis in high school, to his senior season being canceled due to COVID-19. Warren’s route to the starting job was jammed up and might never open, but he wanted the chance, however slim, to lead the Wolverines’ offense.
Warren’s opportunity came Saturday night, as he emerged as the surprise winner of an offseason competition to replace J.J. McCarthy and take snaps for the defending national champions. Warren had some expected bumps in his first start but helped No. 9 Michigan open the season with a 30-10 win against 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’s been some ups and down in the road, but it did feel really good tonight.
“I’ve thought about this day for a long time and envisioned it a lot.”
Warren competed during camp with Alex Orji, who played in spots Saturday and will continue to have a role. But first-year Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Warren created separation.
“Ultimately, he won the job the last week, really,” said Moore, who didn’t publicly announce a starter going into the opener. “He was just consistent, took care of the football, made plays against that defense that you saw out there. They played hard for both [quarterbacks], but he ultimately took the job and won it. That made the decision easier for us.”
Warren entered Saturday’s game with 14 career pass attempts for 89 yards and an interception. After playing in five games in 2022, the 6-2, 195-pound senior from Los Angeles appeared in three games last season and had five pass attempts.
Warren found star tight end Colston Loveland eight times for 87 yards and an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, which capped Michigan’s best drive of the game after Fresno State had cut the Wolverines’ lead to 16-10 with 10:06 left. Warren also was intercepted on a downfield throw to Fredrick Moore and, like the rest of Michigan’s offense, endured some midgame struggles. The Wolverines converted 4 of 11 third-down chances and entered the red zone just twice.
“We can’t leave ourselves in third-and-long,” Warren said. “We’ve got to keep the chains moving. That falls on all of us. But I’m just so proud of the ways guys battled. That last [touchdown] drive, that’s Michigan football right there. That’s the momentum we needed.”
Warren said he felt “a range of emotions” when learning that he had won the starting job and reflected on his journey and those who had helped him. He was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2019 and went through chemotherapy before returning to play four games during the 2019 season. His 2020 high school season was wiped out by COVID-19.
Before Friday’s practice at Michigan, Warren visited with Finn Kennedy, a 14-year-old from Colorado who was born with Down syndrome and was diagnosed with leukemia in 2022.
“Me and Coach Moore had a great time with him,” Warren said. “That just keeps putting things in perspective for me, and just reminds me of why I want to be out there every day, and work my tail off for these guys and this team. And I think it helped with the nerves a little bit, just knowing that I’m ready for this opportunity.”
Although Warren took the first snaps for Michigan, Orji finished the team’s opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Edwards. Orji, used as a change-up running quarterback in 2023 behind McCarthy, had five runs for 32 yards while attempting only one other pass.
Warren said he didn’t think being subbed in for Orji disrupted the offense’s rhythm.
“It’s football,” Moore said. “It’s not always going to be perfect. It’s going to be up and down. I thought the playcallers did a great job, and we’ve got to execute their playcalls, whether it’s offense or defense.”
Kalel Mullings led Michigan’s run game with 92 yards on 15 carries, but the Wolverines, featuring a new-look offensive line, averaged just 4.4 yards per rush, and Edwards struggled to get going. Michigan had three offensive linemen from the national title team selected in April’s NFL draft.
The Wolverines finally know their quarterback in Warren but likely need to recapture more consistent physical play as they prepare to host No. 4 Texas, which opened its season with a 52-0 win against Colorado State.
“It was there at times, and we lacked it sometimes, too,” Loveland said. “Maybe somebody didn’t strain, whether that’s tight end, O-line or receivers, didn’t strain enough. But we kind of got it together there at the end. … Like everyone’s saying, a lot of meat on the bone. We can strain a little harder, as a whole.”