ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Bryce Underwood has to improve to keep his job as starting quarterback.
“He's our QB right now,” Whittingham said Monday. “It's not something that's infinite. At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner and we’ve got to see improvement."
Whittingham said everyone in the program is held to the same standard.
His decision — whether to stick with Underwood or make a change — will be closely watched
in his first year with college football’s winningest program after being relatively under the national radar in Utah for three-plus decades.
“Don’t want to panic,” he said.
Whittingham, though, does not sound as if he will be patient for very long with the 16th-ranked Wolverines hosting No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday.
On Saturday night, Underwood started strong and threw a controversial game-winning touchdown pass on the final play in the season opener, a 13-12 win over Western Michigan. The 47-yard game-ending touchdown pass came after one second was added to the clock following a review on the previous play — also a Hail Mary — that fell incomplete as the clock appeared to hit zero.
In between the opening possession and that final play, the sophomore simply struggled. The poor footwork and decision-making that marred Underwood's freshman season reappeared against Western Michigan, a Mid-American Conference team that was nearly a four-touchdown underdog.
It won't be easy for him to fix those problems this week and the Sooners may take advantage of that.
If Whittingham chooses to bench Underwood, backup Tommy Carr will get a shot to add to his family's legacy.
Tommy Carr is the brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, grandson of 1997 national championship winning coach Lloyd Carr and College Football Hall of Famer Tom Curtis. He's also the son of Michigan graduates, including former walk-on QB Jason Carr.
Whittingham said Tommy Carr is the only backup who practices with the first-string offense, getting about 20% of the snaps.
“He's very intelligent and he lives in the film room,” Whittingham said, adding that Carr is more athletic as a runner than expected.
Underwood attended nearby Belleville High School, where he was the nation’s top-ranked recruit. He flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan after Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Tom Brady became involved with the recruitment that included a financial package worth about $12 million over three years in revenue sharing and NIL deals.
Underwood did not approach the hype during his freshman season, throwing 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He even looked shaky in the spring game earlier this year.
While Underwood ran for a touchdown and threw for a the final touchdown, he made a lot of mistakes. He fumbled a snap, threw an interception and was nearly picked off two more times.
“I’ve got to do better on my behalf,” Underwood said Saturday night.
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