Michigan is only two games into the season, but the quarterback conversation in Ann Arbor is already getting loud.
Bryce Underwood remains the starter for now, yet his shaky opener against Western Michigan has put a spotlight on what happens if Michigan decides it needs a change. Underwood helped the Wolverines escape with a win thanks to a Hail Mary touchdown pass, but the rest of the night was rough. He completed 12 passes for 170 yards and also turned it over twice, with an interception and a fourth-quarter fumble, plus a sack.
That performance came on the heels of comments from head coach Kyle Whittingham, who made it clear that no one is locked into place.
"He's our quarterback right now," Whittingham told reporters on Monday. "It's not something that's infinite," Whittingham said.
"We need to see improvement with a bunch of stuff... it's not just Bryce's job that's set in concrete. Nobody's job is."
A day later, Underwood was asked about that remark and seemed caught off guard. "There was comments about that?"
Underwood said. After the reporter explained what Whittingham had said, Underwood replied, "That's cool".
Michigan goes into its matchup with No. 11 Oklahoma as a 5.5-point home underdog, and if Underwood has another uneven outing, the Wolverines could look elsewhere.
The next man up is true freshman Tommy Carr, who already won the backup job before the season. Carr comes with one of the most recognizable football family trees on the roster: he is the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, who led the program from 1995-2007. His father, Jason, also played at Michigan in the 1990s, and his older brother, CJ, is the starting quarterback at Notre Dame.
Michigan offensive analyst Koy Detmer Jr. said Carr gives the offense a similar look to Underwood.
"Tommy does a lot of similar things to Bryce in the sense of throwing and running the ball. And so from an offensive schematic standpoint, not a whole lot changes," Michigan Koy Detmer Jr. said via 247Sports. "There's different things that Bryce does better than Tommy, that we can maybe cater that to Tommy specifically, but very similar, and we'll lean on what we've done this camp and what's been well for Tommy and try to put him in a position to be successful."
Carr showed some of that dual-threat ability in the spring game, when he went 21-of-30 for 143 passing yards and added 67 rushing yards.
A Saline, Mich., product, Carr entered college as a four-star recruit. Per the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 22 quarterback in the 2026 class and the No. 7 player in the state.
If Michigan needs more depth behind him, the next option is Brayden Fowler-Nicholosi, the former Colorado State starter who transferred to Ann Arbor before the 2026 season. Fowler-Nicholosi has the most college experience on the roster, with 28 starts over the past four seasons. He threw for 6,938 yards, 38 touchdowns and 29 interceptions for the Rams, and also ran for six scores.
After him comes sophomore Chase Herbstreit, son of ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit. He has not played in a game.
The depth chart is completed by true freshman Brady Smigiel, a four-star prospect from Newbury Park, Calif. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 26 quarterback in the 2026 class.
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