Sachse (TX) Sachse quarterback Alex Orji flipped from Virginia Tech to Michigan on National Signing Day. He also had offers from Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech, among others.
Orji is 6’2″ and 233 lbs. He claims a 39″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench, and a 550 lb. squat.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #17 ATH, #244 overall
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #15 ATH
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #9 dual-threat QB
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #47 QB
Hit the jump for more.
Orji was offered by Virginia Tech in October of 2020 and by Michigan in March of 2021. He committed to the Hokies a month after getting offered by the Wolverines and stayed committed throughout the rest of the cycle, at least until the final day of signing. He was going to be a second quarterback in the class for Virginia Tech, and now he’s the second quarterback in the class for Michigan.
Orji is a very good all-around athlete as you can see by the testing numbers above. He completed 127/247 passes for 2,056 yards and 28 touchdowns, and he ran 160 times for 1,187 yards and 24 touchdowns. He possesses pretty good arm strength, considering he has a couple clips of himself rolling left and throwing 60+ yards and rolling right and throwing the ball 50+ yards. His pure power shows up in the run game where he runs through and spins out of tackles with decent regularity. He has good enough speed that it’s a tough combo.
Unfortunately, some of Orji’s throws and anticipation remind me of Denard Robinson; and if you’re a long-time reader, you probably know that’s not a great thing to me. He tends to hold onto the ball a little too long, and I don’t see a lot of great anticipation throws. He tends to throw the ball after receivers are already open. I had the same issue with Cade McNamara, but the caveat existed that McNamara’s protection frequently broke down immediately. Orji is not dealing with the same kinds of protection issues. He also has some mechanical issues and his footwork is inconsistent.
Overall, I think Orji is a project and may not play quarterback at the next level. Two of his older brothers play linebacker at Vanderbilt, and I think that could be Alex’s future, too. I don’t know how open he will be to changing positions. It has worked out decently for Michael Barrett, and Orji is blessed with better physical skills when it comes to size and strength. We’ve seen Dan Villari come into the game this year and run the ball almost exclusively, and perhaps that could be Orji’s role in the future.
Orji is the second quarterback in the 2022 class, joining Jayden Denegal. He is the first player from Sachse to sign with Michigan; however, he’s from the same school district as 2021 defensive tackle signee Ike Iwunnah, who attended Garland (TX) Lakeview Centennial. Other alumni of Sachse include Jared Mayden (Alabama) and Devin Duvernay (Texas), both of whom Michigan offered.
TTB Rating: 55
You need to login in order to vote
You must belogged in to post a comment.