Week 1 of the 2026 college football season hasn’t even kicked off yet and Michigan fans already have something to smile about. Former Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren led his new team, the Stanford Cardinal, to a come-from-behind victory over a threatening Hawaii program on Saturday.
He set a career high in passing yards (310) and completed nearly 65 percent of his passes (22-for-34) including a crucial touchdown pass in the second quarter. Warren ushered the Cardinal on a seven-play, 60-yard go-ahead touchdown drive late with just under four minutes to play, displaying a clutch factor Michigan fans believed didn’t exist in his game.
Welcome to Stanford, Davis 🤓@1daviswarren2 set a new career high for passing YD with 310 on 22-34 passing with one TD @StanfordFball | @GoStanford | #GoStanford | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/PSk4xrXbu0
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) August 30, 2026
He departed Ann Arbor this offseason in disappointment after a letdown of a 2024 campaign in which he only played in a handful of games and tossed for just under 1,200 yards. He was benched completely last season in favor of superstar freshman Bryce Underwood, yet Michigan’s rebound was capped at a 9-4 campaign. Seeing Warren thrive away from the program should have Wolverines fans looking internally and realizing the issue probably was never in the quarterback room.
Was Sherrone Moore the problem all along for Michigan’s woes?
The common denominator across Warren and Underwood’s underwhelming performances was never them wearing the blue and maize. It was Sherrone Moore. The now disgraced former head coach was fired in December after an investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Moore was later arrested and charged with assault related to the reasoning for his dismissal.
Michigan is now led by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and fans should have every reason to believe the same guy that turned Tyler Huntley, Cam Rising and Devon Dampier into college stars will unlock Underwood’s potential. Moore struggled to recapture the momentum Jim Harbaugh established, especially in the wake of their own Spygate scandal, but Whittingham has much more experience in working with young, mobile passers.
Underwood even reflects some of the best traits guys like Huntley and Dampier exhibited in their time under Whittingham. Both were downright deadly in Salt Lake City and given the fact that Underwood will have better weapons and a Big Ten offensive line to work with, he could surpass their ceilings.
Turning back to Warren, he seems to have been a victim of the Moore transitionary period, which suffered through a rotation of passers that included Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle. Each was trying to claim former national champion J.J. McCarthy’s mantle and history dictates it’s always incredibly difficult to be the guy after the guy. His first start since that rough season being a rousing success is just more evidence. Michigan overall was just in a slump and is positioned to emerge from it at the rest of the sport’s peril.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
