The Bryce Underwood question at Michigan has moved from hypothetical to very real.
After Kyle Whittingham went to Tommy Carr at halftime of the Penn State game, the signs started pointing in one direction. Then Carr followed up his second start with a 28-21 win over Rutgers, completing 22 of 27 passes for 266 yards while also running for 54 yards and a touchdown. On Monday, Whittingham made it official for now, saying Carr would remain the starter moving forward for the “foreseeable future.”
What that means after this season is still unclear, and it will hinge on how Carr performs over the final month. But if Underwood does end up in the portal, it’s hard to picture him back in a Michigan uniform next season if Whittingham is still in charge.
If that happens, a handful of programs stand out as the most interesting landing spots.
Ole Miss makes a lot of sense on paper. Trinidad Chambliss is moving on after the season, which leaves a vacancy at quarterback.
Offensive coordinator John David Becker has already done solid work with Chambliss, and the system looks like a cleaner fit for Underwood’s skill set. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, with elite arm talent and 4.4/4.5 speed, Underwood has the kind of tools that pop in a read-option setup.
The Oklahoma game showed what he can do as a runner, and in the right system - something closer to the old Urban Meyer model - he could look a whole lot more comfortable. His uneven season also raises the question of how much a different offensive system slowed his development.
In a new environment, Ole Miss could be getting a five-star quarterback at a discount.
Missouri is another name that jumps out, and maybe the cleanest fit of all. Chip Lindsey’s connection to Underwood matters here, and so does the possibility of a reset.
Austin Simmons is a senior, though he would have a fifth year available if he wants it. He has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only two interceptions this season, and while he hasn’t offered much as a runner, the idea of pairing Underwood with Lindsey is easy to see.
There’s familiarity there, and Lindsey’s best games with Underwood came when Sherrone Moore wasn’t coaching, which seemed to make him less conservative. Simmons would probably be back, but Underwood has already shown he can handle being a backup without becoming a problem.
He might not want to sit, but that path worked for Dante Moore, who was on track to be a top-five pick before his recent injury. Underwood could spend a year learning, then have two seasons left to prove himself.
Kentucky also fits the SEC profile. The Wildcats don’t have the NIL power of some of their conference rivals, but that may not matter here because Underwood has already cashed in on NIL.
The next stop, in this case, would be about development and getting him ready for the next level. Right now, he is not on track to be a draftable quarterback, so the trajectory needs to change.
Will Stein could help with that. He guided Moore last season and helped turn him into a player who was being talked about as the potential No. 1 overall pick.
Kentucky’s Kenny Minchey is playing at a high level, with 16 touchdown passes and just one interception, and he also has another year left, so Underwood might have to wait. Still, that was the same setup that worked for Moore with the same coach, and if Underwood is willing to sit, it would make sense for both sides.
Oregon has already shown it can lure former five-star quarterbacks through the portal, so why not another? It worked with Dante Moore, and the Ducks could be in the market again depending on how things shake out.
Moore is out for the rest of this season, and it’s unclear whether he returns or heads to the NFL draft. Dylan Raiola’s future is also unsettled, since it’s not clear whether he can play well enough to lock down the starting job next season.
If Moore leaves, Underwood and Raiola could end up competing for the job. Underwood isn’t as polished a passer, but he is a far more dangerous runner, and that might even make a two-quarterback setup workable until he becomes more confident throwing the ball.
Oregon also just fired its offensive coordinator, so that hire will matter a lot in the quarterback chase. If Moore returns and Raiola transfers to start somewhere else, Underwood could literally follow Moore’s path.
USC rounds out the list. Jayden Maiava is a redshirt senior, which means he doesn’t have another year of eligibility left, and there isn’t a clear heir apparent waiting behind him.
The Trojans do have talented quarterbacks in the pipeline, but Lincoln Riley has already shown what he can do with quarterbacks, including Jalen Hurts. Underwood would have to learn a new system, but Riley has a track record with dual-threat passers and would know how to use him.
He would also be stepping into a situation where he’d have three years to play. Riley would be betting on himself, but the pairing would be a fascinating one.
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