Bryce Underwood was the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class, and Michigan also valued his caliber by making him just the fourth true freshman in school history to start at quarterback for the Wolverines. However, Sherrone Moore’s firing and a lackluster 2025 season hampered Underwood’s development, and Kyle Whittingham will focus on fixing that in 2026.
Bryce Underwood Takes Charge, While Michigan Keeps QB2 Decision Open, Says Kyle Whittingham
Underwood had just turned 18Â when he became a starting quarterback at Michigan, but he managed the role fairly well during a turbulent season for the Wolverines.
In his first spring press conference on Tuesday, Whittingham said Underwood understands “he had to get better,” but the Michigan head coach is confident that improvement will come, especially with the guidance of dedicated position coaches.
Whittingham outlined Michigan’s updated offensive philosophy, describing it as “simplified and modernized” for the transfer portal era and designed specifically to fit Underwood’s abilities. The first-year Michigan head coach also said that Underwood has been working closely with offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr.
“It’s kind of a tag team approach with those two,” Whittingham told ESPN. “It’s just polishing up some things with Bryce, footwork things, some throwing motion nuances, and obviously teaching the scheme. Fortunately — and it’s one of the things that makes Jason such an outstanding coordinator, particularly in this day and age — he’s got a very user-friendly offense with not a steep learning curve.
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“It was very obvious that Bryce is a mega-talent. He’s got so much ability, but he’s raw — as you would expect an 18-year-old starting quarterback at a Power 4 school to be. He was not a completely finished product, and that’s our job now to turn him into that.
Underwood finished last season with a 78.0 score in the PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, being ranked No. 79 in the nation. Whittingham said Underwood is Michigan’s “clear QB1 without a doubt,” as he has performed well in workouts, not only athletically but also leadership-wise.
As for the QB2 option behind Underwood, Whittingham doesn’t have a clear option for that now, but freshman Tommy Carr is turning heads.
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“Not yet, and we still have a QB or two that will join us in the summer that aren’t here yet,” Whittingham said. “Tommy Carr is doing a nice job, I can tell you that. He’s probably the one who stands out so far. Nothing’s been set in stone, obviously, but just based on what we’ve seen to this point, Tommy has looked like he’s got a good skill set.”
Carr was a four-star recruit in the 2026 class, being ranked the No. 23 quarterback in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
