Bryce Underwood’s path at Michigan looks shaky enough that the transfer portal conversation is no longer hypothetical. After Kyle Whittingham turned to Tommy Carr at halftime of the Penn State game, the momentum shifted.
Then Carr followed that up with a second straight start and delivered a 28-21 win over Rutgers, finishing 22-of-27 for 266 yards while also running for 54 yards and a touchdown. Whittingham said Monday that Carr will remain the starter moving forward for the “foreseeable future.”
What that means after this season is still unclear, and it will depend on how Carr handles the final month. But if Underwood does end up elsewhere, there are a handful of landing spots that make plenty of sense.
Ole Miss sits near the top of the list because Trinidad Chambliss is moving on after this season, leaving a clear opening. Offensive coordinator John David Becker has already done solid work with Chambliss, and the system appears to fit.
Underwood brings elite arm talent at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, plus 4.4/4.5 speed. The Oklahoma game showed what he can do as a runner, and in a read-option setup, he could be dangerous.
Put him in something resembling the old Urban Meyer system and it feels like the kind of environment where he could take off. His rough season also makes you wonder how much the offensive changes set him back.
Missouri may be the cleanest fit of all, especially because of the Chip Lindsey connection. Austin Simmons is a senior, though he would have a fifth year available if he wants it, and he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes against only two interceptions.
He hasn’t offered much as a runner, but pairing Underwood with Lindsey would be interesting. There’s familiarity there, and Lindsey’s best work with Underwood came when Sherrone Moore wasn’t coaching, which seemed to make him less conservative.
Simmons would likely be back, but Underwood has already shown he can handle being a backup without creating problems. He may not want to sit, but Dante Moore did, and that path worked out for him before his recent injury.
Underwood could spend a year developing, then still have two seasons left to show what he can do.
Kentucky is another SEC option that checks a lot of boxes. The Wildcats don’t have the NIL resources some of their conference peers do, but that may not matter here because Underwood has already cashed in on NIL.
At this point, the move would be about development and preparing for the next level. He’s not currently on track to be a draftable quarterback, so the trajectory needs to change, and Will Stein could help.
Stein guided Moore last season and helped put him in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick. Kentucky also has Kenny Minchey playing at a high level, with 16 touchdown passes and just one interception, and he has another year left.
That likely means Underwood would have to wait, but it would be the same kind of setup that worked for Moore under Stein.
Oregon remains in the mix too, especially after landing two former five-star quarterbacks through the portal already. Why not a third?
Dante Moore worked there, though he is out for the rest of this season and it’s unclear whether he returns or enters the NFL draft. Dylan Raiola’s situation is also unsettled, since it isn’t clear whether he can play well enough to secure the job for next season.
If Moore leaves, Underwood and Raiola could battle for the starting role. Underwood is less polished as a passer, but he is a far more dangerous runner, and there’s even a world where both could play while he grows more comfortable throwing the ball.
Oregon just fired its offensive coordinator, so that hire will matter a lot in the chase for quarterbacks. If Moore comes back and Raiola transfers, Underwood could end up following Moore’s path.
USC rounds out the list. Jayden Maiava is a redshirt senior, so he doesn’t have another year left, and there’s no obvious heir apparent waiting behind him.
The Trojans do have talented quarterbacks in the program, but Lincoln Riley has already shown he can elevate quarterbacks, most notably Jalen Hurts. Underwood would need to learn a new system, but Riley has had success with dual-threat quarterbacks and would know how to use him.
It would also give Underwood three years to play. Riley would be betting on himself, but the pairing would be a fascinating one.
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