Tommy Carr looks set to take the next snap as Michigan’s starting quarterback.
A week after stepping in off the bench and helping the Wolverines beat Penn State, Carr is expected to get his first career start Saturday against defending-champion Indiana, according to On3.com’s Pete Nakos. The move would mark a more permanent shift at quarterback after Carr replaced Bryce Underwood at halftime last weekend.
The change came after Underwood struggled through the opening half. He threw two interceptions, finished with just 43 passing yards, and added another 11 on the ground.
Carr didn’t light up the box score through the air, either, but he gave Michigan steadier play and a more dynamic rushing threat. He completed the game with 47 passing yards, plus four carries for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham stopped short Monday of naming his starter for this weekend, but he made it clear the staff had already settled on a direction.
"We saw good stuff out of what Tommy did in that second half," Whittingham said. "And we know exactly what we're doing with the plan going forward.
We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent. But we have a good plan in place.
That's about all I can say on that.
Whittingham was also asked whether Carr, who has played fewer than 50 career snaps at Michigan, was ready to handle the full offense. His answer left little doubt about how the staff views the freshman.
"There's not a quarterback that I've ever been around that studies any more than Tommy Carr," Whittingham said. "And his football IQ is off the charts.
He's got a football mind. He's a football junkie, and he is a real student of the game."
Carr’s profile has always carried some weight inside the program. He arrived as a consensus four-star recruit and is the grandson of legendary Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, and now he appears to have climbed into the job after one strong second-half showing.
That doesn’t mean Michigan is eager to make quarterback use a committee. Whittingham said he has never been a fan of platooning signal-callers, even if it has worked elsewhere.
"It's something that has worked for some people through the years. I've never been big on it," Whittingham said.
"I don't know if percentage wise, you hear the old adage, 'If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one.' Everyone's heard that thing.
So, we'll see what happens. But as far as teams I've coached, it's never been a real prevalent thing for us."
Underwood’s role is expected to shrink for now, though he could still get back on the field if Carr is injured or falters badly enough. After being benched, Underwood continued to take on a leadership role on game day, a sign he has not checked out on the team.
Still, if Carr holds the starting job deep into 2026, the pressure point around Underwood’s future is obvious. The source material makes clear that a transfer portal move would seem likely if the quarterback change sticks.
In Other News...
Quinton Martin Drama Just Put Penn States Offensive Frustration In Public
Penn States offensive frustration spilled into the open after the Michigan game, when Quinton Martin Sr., the father of running back Quinton Martin Jr., took aim at quarterback Rocco Becht on social media. The post quickly turned into a public distraction for a team already dealing with questions about how it is distributing touches, and it only added to the sense that some of the discomfort around the offense has moved beyond the building.
Martin Sr. later apologized publicly to Becht, but the bigger issue for Penn State is still hanging there. Head coach Matt Campbells playing-time decisions have been under scrutiny, and Martin Jr. has seen limited carries this season, leaving his future with the program part of the conversation as well. For a team trying to steady its offense, even one familys frustration has become a revealing sign of how much tension is building around those decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Are Sending A Brutal Message About Purdue
Ticket prices for Penn States Oct. 31 home game against Purdue have slipped to as low as $14, a sign of how quickly the mood around Beaver Stadium can change after a rough stretch. The 28% drop from the previous week comes on the heels of Penn States loss to Michigan, a defeat that left the Nittany Lions at 3-4 overall and still searching for their first Big Ten win.
Purdue will arrive in State College with the same 3-4 record, but the matchup has clearly lost some of its pull for fans who were expecting a much different kind of late-season spotlight. The game is set for a 4:15 kickoff on Big Ten Network, and while the price on the secondary market suggests a soft appetite for the trip, Penn State still gets a chance to reset at home under the lights. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Get Another Home Game Frustration Before Purdue
Penn State fans already had one unusual home date this fall, and they are getting another before Purdue rolls into Happy Valley. The Oct. 31 matchup has been set for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on Big Ten Network, another late-afternoon slot that is not exactly the traditional look for a Nittany Lions home game.
It comes on the heels of the Wisconsin game being placed in a 5:00 p.m. window on Peacock, adding to the sense that Penn States home schedule has been anything but standard lately. The Lions will come out of a bye week to face a Purdue team that has been more competitive than expected, so the timing of this one will matter as much for the atmosphere as for the football. [Read more 🡒]