The Michigan Wolverines made a bold change in October when they benched quarterback Bryce Underwood in favor of Tommy Carr.
It was a choice by new head coach Kyle Whittingham to move on from one of the highest-profile recruits in Michigan history in favor of a multi-generation Michigan QB in Carr who simply hadn’t gotten his chance yet to show what he could do.
Carr got off to a bit of a bumpy start, but things got better on Saturday against Rutgers.
Against the Scarlet Knights, Carr was reportedly battling the flu but still completed 22-of-27 passes for 266 yards and scored three total touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air. Michigan won, 28-21.
“We know it’s only one game, but if you project that one game out through the season, he’d be the best quarterback in the country, statistically,” Whittingham told reporters on Monday.
With that in mind, Michigan has also determined what it’s going to do at quarterback going forward.
Michigan Makes Tommy Carr Decision
Whittingham told reporters on Monday that Carr is going to start on Saturday against Michigan State, and that he’s going to start for the “foreseeable future.”
That likely means Underwood is on the bench for the rest of the season, as long as Carr stays healthy.
Whittingham hadn’t named a starter before either of the last two games, both of which Carr started.
Michigan lost in overtime to Indiana in Carr’s first start, then beat Rutgers on Saturday.
“His running ability was as important in that game as anything else, to rip off those key runs for us,” Whittingham said of Carr’s performance against Rutgers. “He just really did a good job with his reads, his progressions, his decision-making. I can’t say enough good things about how he played.”
Bryce Underwood’s Future
It continues to look like Underwood’s best chance to be a starter next season will come away from Ann Arbor.
This is what The Athletic’s Austin Meek wrote on Monday:
“Carr has a chance to establish himself as Michigan’s answer at quarterback heading into next year, while it appears that Underwood will have to look elsewhere if he hopes to start in 2027.”
Even before Underwood was officially benched, it was clear his future at Michigan was in doubt. He hadn’t come close to living up to his massive recruiting hype.
Monday’s Whittingham comments just make it more clear that Underwood’s days with the Wolverines appear numbered.
Michigan Reveals Plans for Tommy Carr, Bryce Underwood Future at QB