In the NFL, we often see head coaches such as the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick praise opposing players as a sign of respect., but Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, ahead of the upcoming Rose Bowl, seemed to unknowingly give a back-handed compliment to Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller Jalen Milroe, likening him to Michigan backup quarterback Alex Orji.
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"He's like a real polished Alex Orji," Harbaugh said Wednesday. "The athletic skillset, the playmaking ability, just the ability to extend plays — make plays — is really ... the volume of the work and how it's progressed is really impressive."
For context, Orji is one of the backup quarterbacks for the Wolverines and is a redshirt freshman.
Orji was a three-star recruit out of Sachse, Texas, in 2022. He's 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds. He's attempted one pass in two seasons and has had 17 carries for 106 yards and three scores.
In the spring games, he completed four of six passes for 46 yards and scored.
Milroe and the Crimson Tide lost to the Texas Longhorns this past season, but he has 2,720 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions, and rushed for 693 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Harbaugh was trying to say, perhaps, that Milroe is the blueprint for the type of quarterback he wants Orji to be.
"We've seen it before our eyes right now with Alex Orji," Harbaugh said. "And it scares me a little bit that Jalen Milroe would be as athletic as Alex Orji, because Alex is like the most scariest, athletic guy on our whole team. So, okay, that's a little scary."
It's unclear if starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is headed to the NFL. If he does go, Orji could be competing for the starting job.
"Alex has grown and grown right before our eyes. He's always been a confident person; smart, has his wits about him. But just, you can see it grow and grow. He'll come up to you, start a conversation, stick the hand out, 'How ya doin' coach?' Before our eyes, we've seen him come from a really good place to where he's at now. So, yeah, excited to turn Alex loose. I think he'll be right in the battle next year for sure, depending on what J.J. does. It's fun to think about."
"There's some Monday scrimmages he's just dominating. The Monday young-guy scrimmage, there's some plays he's made ... he's gotta start making a highlight tape."
The Wolverines and Crimson Tide will play Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET to see who moves on to the College Football Playoff championship.
