All offseason long, the Michigan football program kept its quarterback battle tight to the chest.

Wolverines coaches didn’t want to give anything away when it came to who would win the starting job headed into the season, senior Davis Warren or junior Alex Orji, and appeared to instruct players to keep the decision internal as long as possible.

The decision, picking Warren, lasted three weeks. The senior from Los Angeles was benched in the third quarter of last week's game against Arkansas State after he threw his third interception of the game.

It was the sixth in just 11 quarters for Warren and ultimately head coach Sherrone Moore opted to bench him for Orji.

Many expected Moore to stick to his usual refrain Monday — those who practice the best will play — but that’s not what happened.

Instead, Moore, in the first month of his coaching tenure, announced the offense would make a switch and go with Orji on Saturday in Michigan's Big Ten opener against conference newcomer, No. 12 USC (2-0).

Moore explained why he made such a declarative statement in advance of what could be a tipping point game in the Wolverines’ 2024 season, speaking on WXYT-FM 97.1 on Wednesday morning with Jim Costa and co-host and Wolverines radio color commentator Jon Jansen.

“For us, the players to see me announce it to everybody else, (and) understand the confidence I have in Alex,” Moore said. “I think it was important I did that. I just think it was an important thing for us to do as a program.”

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Moore said the frequency of the turnovers were the final straw in making the change, noting as long as he's been in Ann Arbor the No. 1 job the offensive coaches have told all quarterbacks is to take care of the ball. Orji, he said, did that when he came in for relief of Warren and orchestrated a nine-play, 80-yard drive that featured eight run calls and one pass.

That's the rub with Orji, named the most athletic quarterback in college football on The Athletic's 'freak list' this offseason, is that he's seen as incredibly talented on the ground, but limited in the air. During his time in Ann Arbor he has completed just 4 of 7 passes for 15 yards, however two of those completions (both this season) have gone for touchdowns.

That's compared to his rushing numbers: 31 carries for 181 yards (5.8 yards per touch) and three scores.

When pressed on his ability to move the ball in the air downfield, Moore said feels "confident" that he can do so, but added it's about executing come game day and putting his team in position to be successful.

"Obviously, great offenses...the ones that score points and move the football do things to their players' strengths," Moore said. "We're going to do everything we can to optimize Alex's strengths along with the guys around him. We have a plan developed that we've had in place for Alex, so we're excited."

Naturally, the decision made its way to the west coast almost immediately and USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

The man who came from Norman, Oklahoma was asked why he thought Moore named the QB so early in the week, and though he said he's not going to "sit here and guess" why U-M made the decision public, he said he understands their line of thinking.

From the sounds of it, USC has had different players simulating Orji on scout team in practice − remember, Orji was used last season ahead of the Rose Bowl to scout Jalen Milroe and give his defense a simulated look − and yes, that includes being prepared for him to throw the ball.

"I mean, you don’t play quarterback at this level without being able to throw the ball some," Riley told reporters in L.A. on Tuesday. "So, yeah, I mean, to sit there and think if he plays the entire game, that they’re going to run it 70 times and throw it one time or something like that. I don’t think that’s going to be the case.

"You definitely have to account for it, because he’s certainly going throw it and make you pay."

Orji, who Moore called 'pound for pound as strong as anybody on our team' has been working for this opportunity since he arrived as part of the 2022 class, however it certainly isn't the easiest of circumstances for ones first career start.

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It's against a defense that ranks top-20 in scoring (10.0 point per game) and perhaps without two of his top options in the receiving game, Tyler Morris who missed Week 3 with an undisclosed injury and star tight end Colston Loveland who left last Saturday's game early with what appeared to be a left leg injury.

Moore didn't comment on Loveland's status Wednesday, instead saying they have not ruled him out and "that's for the doctors to figure out." That said, no matter who the Wolverines have out there, Moore projected confidence in his new quarterback to not just move the ball on the ground, but through the air.

"He can throw the ball," Moore said. "He's just got to go out there and prove it."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Michigan football publicly announced Alex Orji as starting QB