Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham tried his best to be sneaky, talking in circles.
When asked who would start at quarterback against No. 6 Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 24 – sophomore captain Bryce Underwood or true freshman Tommy Carr – Whittingham broke out his best poker face and started to equivocate.
“We know exactly what we're doing and the plan going forward,” Whittingham said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent, but we have a good plan in place, and that's about all I can say on that right now.”
It was a smart answer, and it makes complete sense not to name a starter. If it forces Indiana (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) to spend any extra time having to prepare for both of them, either in practice
or in meetings, it’s an advantage for Michigan (4-2, 1-2).
The media, being the media, tried to ask Whittingham about the decision, in several different ways, trying to uncover the “plan going forward.” Like this one: After Whittingham benched Underwood after the first half last week andbrought in Carr, how would Underwood handle returning at the starter, if that's the plan?
“I have full confidence that he would handle that very well based on everything I know about him and everything I've seen,” Whittingham said of Underwood. “I don't think he would flinch. Think he'd go right back in and start competing. Maybe he's the starter. Who knows? I don't know.”
Then, something dawned on him. “I do know,” the coach said, correcting himself. “You don't.”
Around and around, he went – I haven’t seen that much spinning since I covered figure skating at the Winter Olympics.
So, if Whittingham won’t reveal his plan, let me offer my own: He has to start Carr against Indiana.
To me, it’s obvious.
Heck, to anybody who saw Michigan beat Penn State last weekend, it’s obvious.
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Tommy Carr 'IQ off the charts'
When Whittingham was still at Utah, he didn’t recruit Carr.
Then again, few did.
Carr had only eight college offers while playing at Saline, according to 247Sports. They were to programs like Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Rutgers and Iowa State. He eventually committed to Miami. Not the new No. 1-ranked team based in Florida – I’m talking about the Cradle of Coaches in Ohio. Then, Carr got an offer from Michigan and flipped on Nov. 16, 2025, about six weeks before Whittingham was hired in Ann Arbor.
Think about that.
About 11 months ago, Carr was headed to the MAC.
“There's not a quarterback that I've ever been around that studies more than Tommy Carr,” Whittingham said. “His football IQ is off the charts. I mean, he's got a football mind. He's a football junkie, and he is a real student of the game.”
Nothing about that is surprising, of course, considering he comes from Michigan royalty. He’s the son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr and the grandson of College Football Hall of Fame coach Lloyd Carr (as well as the grandson of former Michigan great Tom Curtis, another Hall of Famer who was an All American starter at safety for Bo Schembechler).
Yes, football is baked into his soul.
And Whittingham saw something special in winter workouts.
“He's working his tail off,” Whittingham said. “He's interacting with his teammates. He's got a good rapport with his teammates. And then when spring ball came around, he really from Day 1 was playing very efficiently and just got better all through spring, and just that carried through the summer, through fall camp. When he had his opportunity to have his first extensive live work, he made the most of it.”
Carr was human spark
Yes, he did.
After Underwood struggled in the first half against Penn State – Michigan had just 80 yards of offense and no points – Whittingham brought in Carr in the second half.
When Carr left the sideline and joined the huddle, several offensive linemen whacked him on the helmet, as if to say: We got you, kid – a moment of unity that seemed to say everything.
“The offensive line played their best football in the second half of that game of the whole season,” Whittingham said. “There was no question about that. They were coming off the ball. Their combinations were outstanding. Their blocking combinations, and they came out with a purpose in that second half. I think they wanted to make sure that they did everything possible, obviously for a young quarterback.”
Basically, Carr changed everything. He was a human spark.
To be clear, Carr didn’t put up amazing numbers: 5-for-7 passing for 47 yards with 36 yards rushing (including a 12-yard TD run). But the Wolverines just looked different with him under center, as they scored 21 points, racked up 221 yards (174 rushing) and averaged 7.4 yards per play.
“I’ve seen it happen before in football,” Whittingham said. “When the backup guy comes in, and everyone gets a little bit of energy and excitement, and so it's something that I've personally seen happen quite a bit through my career. So, it did not surprise me that the team rallied around Tommy.”
There were two other huge factors: he didn’t turn the ball over and he was also a threat with his legs, running four times, including two gains of a dozen or more yards.
“Tommy is a very good runner,” Whittingham said. “He's deceptively fast, and when you look at the measurables, the short shuttle, the long shuttle, all the things you do at the combine, Tommy's numbers are one of the best on the team. So, all his testing numbers really tell you how quick and fast and explosive he is.”
No controversy ... unless
So, what will Whittingham do moving forward?
Could he rotate the two quarterbacks?
I guess. He could start Carr and bring in Underwood in different packages.
But I’m not a big fan of that. Neither is Whittingham.
“You hear the old adage: If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one,” he said.
So, I figure, he’s gotta go with Carr.
Now, a word of caution here – one thing everybody has to remember.
He’s a freshman. He has little experience and he’s gonna make mistakes. He’s got a whole lot of learning to do. I mean, a year ago at this time, he was going up against high school defenses, leading Saline to the Division 1 semifinal.
Now? Here comes Indiana, the defending College Football Playoffs champions who were a foot tap away from a victory over Ohio State and a 23-game win streak.
Obviously, it’s not an easy situation. But right now, one thing seems obvious: Carr gives this team the best chance to pull off the upset.
Michigan doesn’t have a quarterback controversy.
Not as long as Carr gets the start.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
Next up: Hoosiers
Matchup: Michigan (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 6 Indiana (6-1, 3-1).
Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Oct. 24; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV/radio: Fox; WCSX-FM (94.7).
Line: Hoosiers by 7½.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football choice between Tommy Carr, Bryce Underwood is clear
