ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jack Tuttle remains a factor in Michigan’s ongoing search for a starting quarterback, even after he was sidelined much of spring.
The seventh-year quarterback, cleared to play one more season by the NCAA in February, is expected to compete for the job alongside returners Jayden Denegal, Alex Orji, and Davis Warren in fall camp.
Both Orji and Warren started for their respective sides in the annual spring game on Saturday and showed promise. However, no bonafide starter emerged.
“He’ll be in it,” head coach Sherrone Moore told reporters on Monday. “We talked about this as a team, as a staff — the dudes that he backed up are Michael Penix and J.J. McCarthy. So he’s got talent and we’ll see what happens when he gets in fall camp.”
Tuttle, who turns 25 next week, transferred to Michigan ahead of the 2023 season from Indiana, where he started five games and was a captain. He’s the oldest and most experienced quarterback of the group, having appeared in 21 collegiate games, including six last season for the Wolverines.
Injury cut Tuttle’s ’22 season at IU short, and he played through a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, his throwing arm, last season.
“Jack is throwing and he is going to be cleared for the summer,” Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell told reporters on Saturday. “We’ll get more clarity (on him) in summer.”
Despite the uncertainty at the quarterback position, Michigan’s coaching staff has not signaled publicly a plan to dip into the NCAA transfer portal. Instead, they seem focused on bringing along the group.
“Everybody is getting better,” Moore said. “I think that’ll go into the summer and fall, so we’ll see once we get to fall camp.”
