The Bryce Underwood situation at Michigan has reached the point where the next move feels bigger than the season itself.
After Kyle Whittingham turned to Tommy Carr at halftime of the Penn State game, the signs were already pointing in that direction. Then came Monday’s announcement after Carr’s second start, a 28-21 win over Rutgers, where he went 22-of-27 for 266 yards and added 54 rushing yards and a touchdown. Whittingham said Carr would remain the starter moving forward for the “foreseeable future.”
What that means beyond this season is still up in the air. It depends on how Carr handles the final month. But if Underwood does end up in the portal, it’s hard to picture him back in a Michigan uniform next year if Whittingham is still running the program.
And if that happens, there are a handful of landing spots that make real sense.
Ole Miss stands out first because the Rebels are going to need a new quarterback after Trinidad Chambliss moves on following this season. Offensive coordinator John David Becker has done a solid job with Chambliss, and the system looks like a cleaner fit for Underwood’s game.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Underwood has the kind of arm talent that jumps off the screen. He also runs in the 4.4/4.5 range, and the Oklahoma game showed exactly what he can do with his legs.
In the right read-option setup, he could be a problem. A system like the old Urban Meyer model feels tailor-made for him.
His rough season makes you wonder how different things might have looked if he’d had another year with Chip Lindsey. It’s fair to say the changes in offensive systems may have slowed his development more than people realized.
Missouri is another fit that makes a lot of sense, especially because of the Chip Lindsey connection. The question there is Austin Simmons, who is a senior but would have a fifth year available if he wants it. Simmons has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only two interceptions this season, and while he hasn’t done much as a runner, pairing Underwood with Lindsey would be intriguing.
There’s familiarity there, and Lindsey’s best work with Underwood came when Sherrone Moore wasn’t coaching, which made him less conservative. Simmons probably returns, but Underwood already proved he can handle being a backup without creating problems.
He may not want to sit for a year, but Dante Moore did, and that path worked out. Moore was trending toward a top-five pick before his recent injury.
Underwood could do the same thing: sit, learn, get back to the basics, and still have two seasons left to show what he can do.
Kentucky belongs in the mix too, even if the Wildcats don’t have the NIL firepower some SEC rivals can offer. In Underwood’s case, that may not matter much.
He’s already made his money there. The next stop should be about getting him ready for the next level.
Right now, Underwood is not on track to be a draftable quarterback, so the priority has to be changing that trajectory. Will Stein could help.
He’s the coach who guided Moore last season and got him talked about as the potential No. 1 overall pick. Kenny Minchey is playing at a high level for Kentucky, with 16 touchdown passes and just one interception, and he has another year left, which could mean Underwood would need to wait.
But that was the same setup that worked for Moore with the same coach. If Underwood is willing to take that route, it makes sense for both sides.
Oregon is another interesting possibility. The Ducks have already landed two former five-star quarterbacks through the portal, so why not a third?
It worked with Dante Moore. Moore is out for the rest of this season, and it’s unclear whether he’ll return or go to the NFL draft.
It’s also unclear whether Dylan Raiola will play well enough to lock down the job for next season.
If Moore leaves, Underwood and Raiola could battle for the starting role. Underwood is not as polished as a passer, but he brings more danger as a runner, and that could even open the door for both to be used early while Underwood grows as a thrower.
Oregon also just fired its offensive coordinator, so that hire will matter a lot in the quarterback chase. If Moore comes back and Raiola possibly transfers to start somewhere else, Underwood could literally follow Moore’s path.
USC rounds out the list. Jayden Maiava won’t have another year left, since he’s a redshirt senior and this is his fifth season. There isn’t an obvious heir apparent, either, even with talented quarterbacks waiting behind him.
Lincoln Riley has already shown what he can do with quarterbacks, especially Jalen Hurts, and Underwood would be stepping into a system that has worked for dual-threat passers before. He would have to learn a new offense, but Riley would know how to use him.
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