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When the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines came out on offense for the first time on Saturday, it was senior Davis Warren, not expected starter Alex Orji who broke the huddle at quarterback.
Warren, a California native, reportedly beat out Orji for the spot over the summer, and that should come as no surprise.
That’s because Warren has made a habit of beating the odds. He was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2019 and lost over 35 pounds. But he somehow made it back in time to play for his high school team later that season.
“The first week I was diagnosed, I circled a game on October 4th which was when I wanted to get back to playing,” Warren said in January. “Looking back, it was naive of me to think that, because knowing what I know now about childhood cancer, I was very lucky to be able to make it out and still be able to pursue my dreams.”
Warren showed his dedication to football by going out to throw immediately after his first round of chemotherapy.
“The doctors were like, ‘Why would you do that? You shouldn’t do that. That’s not smart.’ But I just needed to feel the ball come off my hand, all that stuff. That kept me going,” he said.
But Warren didn’t stop there.
Between the cancer battle and COVID-19 canceling his senior season, Warren wasn’t highly recruited out of high school.
However, he joined the Michigan team as a preferred walk-on, citing the Big Ten and Michigan’s academics as the reason.
In 2021, he won Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. Warren then threw for 175 yards in the 2022 spring game. When Cade McNamara transferred to Iowa, Warren became JJ McCarthy’s backup.
One year later, with McCarthy in the NFL, Warren is now the starter.
“Davis Warren, man, he’s so good,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore told WXYZ’s Brad Galli. “He’s always been able to throw the ball, but it’s been about taking care of the football in the right way and he’s done that throughout camp.”
Nobody knows what the next chapter is in Warren’s story. But regardless of how it goes from here, it’s been one heck of a ride.