There's a lot of consternation surrounding the football program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the moment. And it goes beyond people arguing about the clock and the current record of the Michigan football program.
Bryce Underwood was a polarizing figure as the Wolverines' quarterback going into the 2026 season, and one game later -- with a 12-for-22 stat line for 170 yards, a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, an interception, and a lost fumble -- the criticism surrounding the sophomore signal-caller has reached overdrive. Especially considering Michigan is about to host a highly-ranked Oklahoma team.
The game is set to be broadcast by the Fox Sports premier team, with Big Noon Kickoff in tow. And Rob Stone, Mark Ingram and former Ohio State
coach Urban Meyer shared their thoughts on Underwood midweek on The Triple Option podcast.
Starting with Ingram, he's shocked at just how anemic the Wolverine offense was against a Group of Six team in Western Michigan. He believes that if Underwood struggles again, it may be time to put in true freshman Tommy Carr, the grandson of Lloyd Carr who had a solid spring game performance.
"I mean, the biggest thing that jumps out to me was how little sustained offense Michigan created versus Western Michigan," Ingram said. "They only had 12 first downs. They only had 30% on third down, committed three turnovers, and possessed the ball for less than 20 minutes. Western Michigan had ran 67 plays to Michigan's 48 and held the ball for 40 minutes. If you do that (vs.) Oklahoma, you will not have one chance to win. So if they had lost that game, this is a completely different conversation. And CJ Carr's brother is starting next week in Ann Arbor."
Meyer agreed with the sentiment, but delved deeper into the subject.
He says that it's not that Underwood isn't coachable and isn't taking what the coaches are selling him. He notes that he's seeing a quarterback that's struggling as it pertains to processing the game in real time. But, with his conversations with Kyle Whittingham filling in part of the story, he knows that the Michigan football head coach has a lot of faith in Underwood's capability.
And he also cautions, slightly, that you don't make a change if you don't have something more viable as the next option. And there is reason to be concerned about moving to Carr at this stage in his development.
"So I obviously have more intel, the most cause I'm very close with the Wolverine head coach," Meyer said. "And he expressed, first of all, he loves Bryce Underwood. A lot of times you'll coach, Mark, a player that's just resistant to coaching and that's just a pain in the (expletive). That is not what's going on there. His issue is spatial awareness, going through progressions and then executing -- which is a normal progression for a young quarterback.
"The problem is he was thrust into a starting environment last year with chaos going all around him and which takes your breath away. Someone said he didn't have a quarterback coach. Once again, there's some never heard of, and never heard of that, especially when you pay a guy $7 million. And I've said this on Big Noon, 'God said, I'm going to go make me a quarterback, and they look like Bryce Underwood.' But there's something missing.
"Everything you're saying is dictated by something who's behind him. It's Tommy Carr. Coach Whitt really loves his kid, says he's got an incredible future. But he's also underdeveloped as far as just physically. So we're making decisions without knowing what's -- your job as a head coach is to win the next game; whoever gives you the best opportunity, play that human being. And I think Kyle will do that."
Meyer continued, saying that all of the fault doesn't fall solely on Underwood. Despite Whittingham saying that the offensive line looked OK upon further review, the former Buckeye head coach disagrees with that sentiment, noting that the line and the run game also struggled mightily against the Broncos.
"Everything we're saying is true, but I would also say that I'm going to spend most of my time, if I'm Kyle, with the offensive line," Meyer said. "That did not look well to me. They look just as offensively not a good offense. I didn't see the breakaway speed on the edges. I didn't see the typical Wolverine running back that's ripping through tackles. And of course, you see a quarterback that's mistake-filled and not executing at a high level.
"So there's, I don't know. If you lose the game, you're right. You probably push that button down and implode the whole thing and start over. And that means a new quarterback, maybe new other position players, but you just don't know what's around them. I would, again, say this. They have to compete with Oklahoma.
"Kyle Whittingham's job is very clear. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D. Put people on the field that you think can win the game. Not to make a point, not to prove a point. If he thinks Bryce Underwood is the best option, you've got to go with him."
Ultimately, Meyer believes in the Michigan head coach -- who was his defensive coordinator at Utah in the 2000s -- and further believes that the time for Carr is coming; it's just not likely soon.
"I, again, I know Coach Whitt and them well enough, and I know they're excellent coaches," Meyer said. "Of course they are. I just don't know what's there. Yeah. I know Tommy Carr is a guy that they feel can be a quarterback and lead them to a championship at some point. I just don't know that point's right now."
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Urban Meyer reveals what he's hearing about Bryce Underwood, Michigan
