The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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42 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 BY CHRIS BALAS N o, sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood didn't look his best in the April 18 Michigan spring scrim- mage, finishing 3-for-9 for 22 yards. And no, it didn't help perception that fresh- man Tommy Carr entered and tore it up, leading the winning touchdown drive and throwing for 143 yards and rushing for 59 in the Maize team's 7-6 win over the blue. Michigan coach Kyle Whitting- ham didn't care about Underwood's per- ceived "struggles" in a split squad scrim- mage in which he was under fire much of the time without tackling, and neither should the fans. And for those suggesting the Michigan coach was just "being kind" or giving "coach speak" in assessing the competition in the postgame, we can as- sure you he was not. "He progressed all through spring," Whittingham said. "There are some things that may not be noticeable to just the general populace, but his footwork, his pocket presence … he's improved in all areas. He still has work to do — he knows that and we know that — but I think he's ahead of where he was ... last season. "We think he's got a big upside. We've still got a lot of confidence in him. There's no real different sentiment than what we had when we first got in here." In short, while Carr "balled out," this is still Underwood's team, and he had a good spring, all things considered. What we didn't see was what he can do with his legs and what he can do with time to throw. The leaky pass protection had a lot to do with that, and again, part of that was a result of the ones being split. But it also had something to do with a front seven that impressed much more than we expected it to. For one, their bodies looked different, and that prob- ably wasn't an accident. Edge Lugard Edokpayi was the only one they brought into the postgame locker room from that group, but he spoke for all his teammates in lauding the new strength staff. There was much more structure, he said, and dedication to adding good weight. ON TRACK Head Coach Kyle Whittingham Describes Spring Progress, Feels Like Offense Is 'Heading In The Right Direction'