Michigan quarterback Davis Warren has stepped up as a leader amidst his recovery from the injury he suffered in the 2024 finale. Even though he’s unlikely to see the field this year, he has made a positive impact on freshman starter Bryce Underwood.
Warren started nine games in 2024 before suffering a torn ACL in the season-ending win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Nearly 10 months after the injury, Warren’s recovery is going as planned and he’s been able to participate in workouts.
Michigan
head coach Sherrone Moore offered an update on Warren’s recovery and his influence as a leader.
“It’s been going good,” Moore told the media of Warren’s recovery on Monday. “He has been throwing and running. He’s just been such a great team player, doing everything that he can to help Bryce and all the other guys in the room. He’s been awesome.”
Warren has been at Michigan for four years — appearing in 17 games, including starting a majority of the games last season — so his experience and familiarity with the program has helped Underwood adapt in the early stages of his collegiate career.
It’s helpful for Underwood to be surrounded with veteran quarterbacks because they can use their knowledge to help him get acclimated to this level of football, and Michigan did just that with Warren, as well as transfers Mikey Keene and Jake Garcia.
Underwood has more potential than just about any quarterback in the country and his physical tools are extremely rare, but there is still an adjustment period for all first-year players. Warren and the other Michigan quarterbacks have seemingly helped to ease his transition.
In addition to making a positive contribution with his leadership, Warren’s journey from being diagnosed with leukemia in high school to being named the starting quarterback at Michigan should serve as motivation for the program as a whole. He underwent chemotherapy at just 17 years old and after completing the treatment, he went into remission and eventually returned to playing football. Now, Warren uses his past experiences to raise awareness and encourage others.
The 2024 campaign was a disappointing one for the Wolverines and Warren struggled to find success at times, but he will always be remembered for helping secure the upset win over Ohio State in Columbus and extend the recent win streak in the rivalry.
As his recovery continues, the California native will travel to his home state this weekend as Michigan takes on USC on Saturday. Despite being unable to play, Warren will aim to help Underwood and the offense prepare for a difficult matchup against the Trojans.
