Alex Orji, DJ Uiagalelei headline quarterbacks under a microscope in spring games Saturday

Another 25 Power Conference schools will hold their annual spring scrimmages over the weekend, many of whom have some of the most interesting quarterback situations entering the 2024 season. 

Inexperienced but promising options like Alex Orji and LaNorris Sellers are looking to lock down QB1 roles, while DJ Uiagalelei is looking to fit in at Florida State. 

All three quarterbacks, plus some other interesting signal callers, will be on display this weekend. 

Here are six quarterbacks under the microscope in spring games this Saturday:

QB Alex Orji, Michigan

After serving as JJ McCarthy’s backup last season, Orji is in a three-way battle with Jack Tuttle and Jayden Denegal for the Wolverines’ starting quarterback job this spring. The 6-3, 236-pound junior is an explosive runner, but he has zero career pass attempts. 

The focus this spring has been on Orji’s development in the pocket, and while reports suggest he’s the current frontrunner for the QB1 role, he faces some pressure Saturday to perform or else the Wolverines could dip into the transfer portal to add another arm to the room. 

The reigning national champs are in a tough spot, as it’s unclear exactly what they have in Orji, while the current options in the transfer portal aren’t obvious upgrades, either. 

QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame

One of the quarterbacks drawing the most buzz this spring has been the Irish’s freshman signee. Carr, a 4-star recruit in the 2024 class, was the talk of Notre Dame’s open scrimmage last week, torching the second and third defenses while the rest of the QBs reportedly really struggled. 

Notre Dame nabbed Riley Leonard from the portal in December, and the Duke transfer remains the team’s likely 2024 starter despite mostly taking mental reps this spring while he recovers from a leg injury. Still, Carr’s rapid ascension at least has the freshman pushing for the backup job — and possibly playing time this fall. 

If he has a big Blue-Gold Game, the hype will only surge into the summer.

QB Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma 

Few quarterbacks in the country have the raw upside of Arnold. The Sooners are so confident in their 5-star redshirt freshman that they let Dillon Gabriel, who led the Big 12 in passing and touchdowns in 2023, leave for Oregon. But as we saw in the Alamo Bowl, there are natural growing pains to be had.

Against Arizona, Arnold threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, but he had four turnovers (three picks, one fumble). Decision-making continues to be a learning process this spring, too, as Arnold has struggled with throwing interceptions in practice, per reports. 

Oklahoma, which is already having to replace all five starting OL, needs Arnold to be up to speed in 2024 to avoid a tough transition season to the SEC. We’ll at least get a gauge on where that stands in Saturday’s spring game. 

QB DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State

The former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback will finish his college career in a Seminoles uniform — hardly the rollicking journey Uiagalelei looked destined for when he lit up Notre Dame’s defense as a freshman in 2020. And yet, Uiagalelei has been praised throughout the spring for quickly asserting himself as FSU’s starter in 2024. He’s established early chemistry with transfer wideouts Jaylin Lucas and Malik Benson and has shown to be a quick learner of Mike Norvell’s offense. 

Uiagalelei is the lone healthy scholarship quarterback still practicing this spring for FSU, so the ‘Noles are likely to be cautious with their QB1 during Saturday’s spring game. It will still be interesting to see what Uiagalelei looks like in Norvell’s offense — specifically whether his accuracy has improved at all (career 57.8% passer).

QB Conner Weigman, Texas A&M

Mike Elko has done a tremendous job plugging holes in Texas A&M’s roster during a transition offseason, but the Aggies’ hopes in 2024 largely hinge on the health of starting quarterback Conner Weigman. 

The former 5-star played in just four games in 2023 before suffering a gruesome foot injury. Weigman has shown flashes of some big-time ability. But availability is an important attribute, too. 

So how healthy is he right now? What does his mobility look like? Will we see him at all? There has been very little noise coming out of College Station this spring, which is probably a good thing for the Aggies considering the failed hype of the last few seasons. But that also creates some intrigue for the Maroon & White Game, and what Weigman does or doesn’t look like. 

QB LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

The heir apparent to Spencer Rattler is a 6-3, 245-pound tank. The Gamecocks’ redshirt freshman saw minimal action in 2023, but he did have a dazzling 36-yard touchdown run against Vanderbilt and tossed a pair of scores versus Furman. 

Still, Sellers is fairly green as a pure passer. He has a cannon for an arm, but similarly to a guy like Joe Milton, there are questions about touch and accuracy on short and intermediate throws. South Carolina brought in former Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford to at least put pressure on Sellers, and by all accounts, that’s brought out the best in the young quarterback. 

So let’s see what Mr. Rec Specs (yes, dons the awesome glasses) has rocking Saturday.