Michigan made a big change at quarterback this week, benching the highly touted — and highly compensated — Bryce Underwood in favor of true freshman Tommy Carr.
The change was a major shakeup for the Wolverines, and has also drawn attention to the massive difference between the rumored NIL compensation for both players. Underwood was expected to have one of the most lucrative NIL packages for a high school recruit, but he struggled and handed the starting job over to a player expected to make a fraction of his compensation.
Tommy Carr’s NIL Money Hits Six Figures
While there is no exact estimate of Carr’s NIL funding, most estimates have put him at less than $300,000 per year. The NIL Standard gave an estimate of $282,555, which would put him at less than 10% of Underwood’s money for this year.
Though a true freshman starting at quarterback is rare, Carr is hardly an unknown. He was highly recruited out of high school and has a strong family connection to Michigan. He is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and the brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr.
Tommy Carr took over as starter at halftime of the team’s game against Penn State last week, leading them to three touchdown drives to achieve a 21-18 win.
Bryce Underwood’s NIL Money Faced Scrutiny
Underwood had already faced criticism for the massive NIL funding he brought into this season. The Athletic’s Austin Meek reported that Underwood could make close to $10 million during his tenure at Michigan, but other estimates put it closer to $12 million in total.
“Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood landed one of the most lucrative NIL packages to date for a high school recruit,” On3’s Pete Nakos wrote in an August 25, 2026, story, “Tracking college football’s highest-paid quarterbacks ahead of 2026 season. He’s now set to enter Year 2 of his four-year deal with the Wolverines, which will pay roughly $3 million this season.”
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon said in an appearance on Morning Edition that Underwood’s massive NIL funding creates a difficult situation both for him and Michigan.
“I guarantee you there’s a contract in this situation,” Bacon said. “You don’t drop $12 million for the heck of it. And the question is: all right, does Bryce Underwood eat it, basically, and become Tommy Carr’s backup for a year or two making $3 million a year? Or does he transfer and risk losing that money? So this, again, affects things. The ripples of this are tremendous.”
Michigan QB Tommy Carr’s NIL Money is $10 Million Less Than Bryce Underwood