Urban Meyer is not mincing words about Michigan’s quarterback situation. After watching the latest stretch, he says Tommy Carr has earned the starting job over Bryce Underwood, and the biggest reason is simple: Carr has fit the offense far better.
Meyer laid out his case on Dan Dakich’s Outkick show, pointing to the fact that Carr has been able to step in and run the same system with far less disruption than Underwood has brought to the table. That, in Meyer’s view, matters even more this late in the year.
“Tommy Carr is a guy that Kyle Whittingham has been talking (about),” Meyer said. “I talk to Coach Whitt every couple of weeks.
And he loves the kid. But he actually loved Bryce Underwood.
He's a great worker, incredible talent. He's the only first-round talent I saw on that field.
We covered him a couple times this year. He's a freak athlete.
"Against Oklahoma, he ran, and he played a really good game against Iowa. So I thought he was starting to come together.
And then it hasn't been good. So normally when you have like a Chris Leak and a Tebow, they're two completely different offenses.
And you have a different game plan. I watched what they did with Tommy Carr.
They ran the exact same. He scored on a Bryce Underwood play.
And he almost scored on another Bryce Underwood play. So they're running the same offense.
So the transition wasn't that difficult.
If you have two different styles of offenses, it really cuts into your practice time, especially this late in the year. So, but I think that Coach Whitt can say whatever he wants, Tommy Carr is your starting quarterback.
Oh, yeah, it's over. He has to, yeah.
He scored 21 points. They lose that game if Bryce Underwood's in that game."
Even with that blunt endorsement for Carr, Meyer did not write off Underwood. He said the quarterback still showed the kind of engagement that suggests Michigan isn’t done with him.
“The positive is, and I watch closely, is he was so engaged,” Meyer said. “He must be a hell of a guy. You know, he must be.
“A lot of times you would think he might pack his bags and go, but he was engaged. He's fully engaged.
He's still relatively young. I'm not giving up on Bryce Underwood.
I saw what I saw. I see a freak athlete that probably played before he was ready.
So I would not give up on that kid. And what does that mean?
For Kyle Whittingham, all he's got to do is find a way to compete against Indiana. He can't worry about that.
At some point, you gotta worry about that. Not now.”
Meyer’s comments come ahead of Michigan’s meeting with Indiana on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Kickoff is set for 12:10 p.m. EDT, with Meyer on site for Fox’s broadcast.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Landed A Rare 2027 Opener Change
Notre Dame has already made a notable tweak to its 2027 football calendar, moving its meeting with Kent State up from Oct. 2 to Aug. 28 and turning the game into the season opener at Notre Dame Stadium. It will be the Irishs first home opener since 2020, and it also brings a first-time opponent to South Bend in Kent State, the school where the late Lou Holtz once coached and starred as a young coach.
The move gives Notre Dame a different kind of September runway, with a more traditional start to the season and another piece of the schedule now in place alongside the other confirmed matchups. It also reshapes the economics a bit, since the original contract carried a $1.3 million guarantee payment to Kent State, making the date change more than just a calendar adjustment. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Carr Is Giving Notre Dame Fans A New NFL Dream
As the 2027 quarterback conversation keeps getting turned upside down by injuries and uneven play from other highly touted names, CJ Carr has started to feel like the steady hand NFL evaluators can trust. Notre Dames young passer has drawn attention for the kind of pre-snap adjustments and accuracy that usually separate a promising college quarterback from a real pro prospect, and his poise has given Irish fans a different kind of draft buzz to track.
Carrs showing against BYU only added to that sense that he belongs in the top tier of the class. The comparison points are familiar and flattering, with traits that call to mind Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, and Notre Dame supporters are suddenly watching every snap with a bigger question in mind: if he keeps building on this, how far can that NFL dream really go? [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Fans Have A New Reason To Watch BYU This Week
UCF is getting a rare kind of spotlight this week, with No. 2 BYU coming to Orlando for a matchup that brings real weight to both sidelines. It will be the first time UCF has hosted a top-5 team, and coach Scott Frost and his players have leaned into the significance of the stage, the home atmosphere and the challenge of trying to keep the Cougars from dictating the game.
For Notre Dame fans, the interest is obvious. BYU is still undefeated after knocking off then-No. 2 Notre Dame, and the Irish have every reason to keep an eye on what the Cougars look like away from South Bend. UCF is hunting its first win against a top-5 opponent, and the bigger question in front of the Knights is how they handle quarterback Bear Bachmeier and a BYU team that has already shown it can beat one of the nations heavyweights. [Read more 🡒]