The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
QUARTERBACKS 46 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY JOHN BORTON T he Michigan quarterbacks room wasn't crowded in spring practice, despite legacies from both Michi- gan and Ohio State on hand. The focus right now — a second-year starter looking to make a leap, personally and team-wise. Sophomore Bryce Underwood logged a freshman season many rookie quarter- backs could only dream about. He com- pleted 60.3 percent of his passes (202- for-335), threw for 2,428 yards, firing 11 touchdown tosses. He also guided the Wolverines to nine wins, before off-field chaos changed Michigan's future dramatically, bringing Kyle Whit- tingham to Ann Arbor after two de- cades in Utah. For Underwood, it meant an abrupt shift of gears — new head coach, new offensive coordinator in Jason Beck and a dedicated quarterbacks coach in Koy Detmer Jr. It also forced a decision, albeit a quick one. The Michigan sig- nal-caller let everyone know he planned to stay put. "It was a blessing, just how fast we were able to get the ball rolling for the next year," Underwood said. "Mindset switched, mindset changed and ev- erything. It's been a blessing to have Coach Whitt here. He's pushing us, and pushing me, to be the best we can possi- bly be. Overall, I was going to stay home, no matter what." Underwood's u sa ge i n t h e spring game proved a tes- tament both to how solidly he's Michigan's QB1, as well as the care being taken to not getting him nicked up. The sophomore played sparingly, operating in the first quarter of U-M's Maize and Blue scrimmage. While those positionally teetering on the edge of panic by nature fretted about his brief appearance (3-for-9 passing for 22 yards), his head coach certainly wasn't one of them. "He progressed all through spring," Whittingham said afterwards. "Some things may not be noticeable to the gen- eral populous. His footwork, his pocket presence … he's improved in all areas. Now, he still has work to do. He knows that, we know that. But I think he's ahead of where he was, certainly, from last season. We think he's got a big up- side and still have a lot of confidence in him. There's no different sentiment than what we had when we first got here." Whittingham also made sure every- one knew that a heartening effort by freshman QB Tommy Carr in the spring scrimmage (21-for-30 passing for 143 yards, along with 6 scrambles for an ad- ditional 51 yards) wasn't about to change the pecking order. "Bryce is our starter right now, and that's not any different after today," Whittingham said. "But Tommy has really made strides. He just really has a great pocket presence and escapability. He can extend plays and keeps his eyes down- field. "All the things that you look for in a big-time quarterback, I believe Tommy possesses those. It's still early in his career, but what he's doing out there relative to his experience level is pretty impressive." Carr, the grandson of former Michi- gan head coach Lloyd Carr, established himself in the spring as QB2, while sophomore Chase Herbstreit — the son of ESPN analyst and former Buckeyes quarterback Kirk Herbstreit — settled in at No. 3. Barring anything unforeseen, Michigan will ride into the 2026 sea- son on Sept. 5 against Western Michi- gan with its fortunes riding on the strong arm and ready legs of No. 19. The Wolverines will feature experienced depth, though, thanks to former Colorado State quarterback Brayden FROSH NO MORE Bryce Underwood Leads A Thin Crew Of QBs Working with offensive coordi- nator Jason Beck and a dedi- cated quarterbacks coach in Koy Detmer Jr., Underwood put in the extra work this offseason and is prepar- ing to make a leap for- ward in Year 2 as a starter. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Belleville (Mich.) High product BRYCE UNDERWOOD is a multi-dimensional quarterback who will be deployed more as a rushing threat this season. Last year, Under- wood ranked third in the Big Ten among non-running backs with 6.7 yards per rush attempt (excluding sacks).