In 2024, the Michigan Wolverines desperately needed someone to step up at the quarterback position yet, on a weekly basis the offense was inept. Alex Orji was one of the players that the Wolverines were hoping would step up but, when he was on the field it was clear that he wasn't ready to start at quarterback.
After the season on the bench, Alex Orji opted to transfer this offseason and he picked Dan Mullen and the UNLV Rebels to help finally get a starting job. The issue for Alex Orji was that the Rebels weren't just handing him the gig as he'd have to battle former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea for the job.
Despite having a full camp, Dan Mullen didn't come to a decision on a starting announcing both Alex Orji and Anthony Colandrea would battle for the job in their Week 0 game against Idaho State. While Mullen didn't name a starter, Alex Orji was the first quarterback onto the field in this game which indicated he had the leg up on Colandrea.
When Orji got his first drive at quarterback, it appeared as if everything was going well as he was making plays with his arms and his legs. Then Alex Orji made a mistake that drives every coach crazy, diving for the goal line and fumbling away the football.
Alex Orji fumbles right at the goal line on UNLV’s opening drive and Idaho State recovers in the end zone 😳 pic.twitter.com/1jwrfjjs3R
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) August 23, 2025
After fumbling away the football, Anthony Colandrea has dominated the snap count and appears set as the Rebels quarterback. The Virginia transfer has gotten to lead 7 drives to this point in the game while Alex Orji has only led two drive with just one coming after his fumble.
The difficult part of the outcome thus far for Orji is the fact that he's looked good while passing going 3-3 passing for 37 yards. It'll be interesting to see if Dan Mullen's mind is made up or if Orji will have another chance to bounce back.
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