WHAT A SIGNING….

As Alex Orji makes his push to become Michigan starting quarterback, the junior reflected on a football career that could have gone in a different direction.

The Sachse (Texas) High School product played at receiver and “everything between the white lines” during the first half of his high school career. He started at quarterback as a junior and senior, but he wasn’t recruited as a QB until late in the process.

“I’ll say almost as late as it could be. It was always ‘athlete’ next to my name,” Orji said on a recent episode of “Behind The Uniform” with TMI. “I think that in high school, just being who I was, all I wanted to do was prove to people that I wasn’t just an athlete.

“I wanted to be considered a quarterback, so anytime that I was considered a dual threat, I appreciated it. I would always say ‘thank you’ just for even considering me a quarterback at that point in time. At the time, I definitely knew that I was a dual threat. I wanted people to know that I could throw the ball as well.”

When Jim Harbaugh and Michigan offered Orji in 2021, their willingness to view him solely as a quarterback stood out.

“Some schools have talked to Orji about playing other positions, but he wants to stick at quarterback,” 247Sports’ Mike Roach wrote at the time the Wolverines offered him.

You could understand why other programs might have projected him elsewhere. At camps, Orji put numbers to the athletic prowess he showcased on Friday nights. At an Elite 11 event in April 2021, he ran a 4.73-second 40-yard dash and a 4.59-second shuttle, while jumping 37-plus inches in the vertical. That combination of speed and agility at his size made him an intriguing prospect at many positions.