Michigan football knows what Bryce Underwood is. It’s time to move on

Michigan football knows what Bryce Underwood is. It's time to move on.

Key points

• Kyle Whittingham discussions Michigan football QB change, future aims in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct.
• Seeing his first extended action, Carr accumulated 83 yards of total offense and ran for a touchdown to provide "a spark for the offense, " Whittingham remarked.
• Maybe Carr has the skill set to better fit what Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck need in their scheme.
• More: Michigan benches Bryce Underwood, but Kyle Whittingham's QB decision isn't over.
• The only starter in the conference with a worse efficiency rating is Maryland's Malik Washington.

Michigan football knows what Bryce Underwood is. It's time to move on. Paul Myerberg USA TODAY. Kyle Whittingham discussions Michigan football QB change, future aims.

Kyle Whittingham discussions Michigan football QB change, future aims in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Kyle Whittingham remarked on Monday that Michigan has a plan at quarterback. It's a super-secret plan, by the way: "We're not going to tip our hand" to this week's opponent, No. 6 Indiana, Whittingham remarked. "But we have a good plan in place."

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers must be petrified. That the plan would in some way qualify as good seems to fly in the face of everything we've seen over the first six games of the season.

Regarding the only good idea would be to permanently bench sophomore Bryce Underwood. This person tossed a pair of interceptions in Saturday's 21-18 win against Penn State – the only other Sizeable Ten blueblood more miserable than Michigan at this moment – and was replaced by freshman Tommy Carr.

Notably, the Wolverines know what they have in Underwood. It's not pretty. It's time to pull the plug.

He's created no expansion since last season and has played with zero confidence, leaving the former five-star recruit as the only primary Major Ten quarterback with more interceptions than touchdowns. The only starter in the conference with a worse efficiency rating is Maryland's Malik Washington.

Maybe Carr has the skill set to better fit what Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck need in their scheme. Maybe the spark he brought on Saturday carries over to the second half of the year, and we look back at this reboot under center as a key turning point for the Whittingham era.

At the particularly least, Carr is an unknown commodity while Underwood is a proven drag on this offense.

Not that who Michigan starts against the Hoosiers will even matter. Indiana is a touchdown favorite in Ann Arbor since of a defense that might be the best in the Sizeable Ten and will be too much for the Wolverines to handle.

Meanwhile, the Hoosiers rank fourth in the FBS in scoring at 12.9 points per game, fourth nationally in rush defense at 75.4 yards per game and seventh nationally in allowing 4.3 yards per play. Unless the Wolverines create some sort of magical week-to-week improvement, Indiana's defense will dominate.

But that's an even better reason to put Carr into the starting lineup. This year is cooked: Michigan is not a contender in the Major Ten or nationally, and should be thinking more concerning what can be done over the second half of the year to obtain better in 2027.

That will be done by evaluating every piece of the offense, starting at quarterback. Michigan has to improve at the position to challenge the best of the best in the conference. We know Underwood isn't that guy.

Carr might be. Even if he's not, that's valuable information for Whittingham to have heading into a crucial transfer-portal season. Staying the course and hoping for the best is not the answer. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, michigan football knows what Bryce Underwood is. It's time to move on remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.