Michigan football's secret plan at quarterback is seemingly no longer very secret: Tommy Carr is expected to start vs Indiana.
The Wolverines (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) are planning to make the switch at quarterback on Saturday, Oct. 24 against No. 6 Indiana (6-1, 3-1), according to multiple national reports. It was also seemingly confirmed on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after practice at Schembechler Hall, when running back Savion Hiter spoke of the freshman.
"Yeah, I mean, I can see him as a deep-ball thrower," Hiter said when asked if Carr can help push the ball downfield, something that the offense has struggled to do this year. "It's more than like a check-down type of person, he has a really good arm, so we're probably gonna put that to use this week."
Sophomore Bryce Underwood, who has started the past 19 games since the beginning of the 2025 season, was benched at halftime in Michigan's 21-18 win over Penn State last weekend after being held scoreless on five drives, with two turnovers. Carr, a true freshman from Saline, Michigan, helped U-M come from behind to win in the second half, including a 12-yard touchdown run of his own on third-and-9 in the final three minutes.
Coach Kyle Whittingham, however, opted not to publicly declare a starter at his press conference on Monday. He said he didn't want to tip his hand to the Hoosiers, though IU coach Curt Cignetti at his press conference in Bloomington suggested he was expecting Carr to get the start.
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While Whittingham didn't name Carr the starter, he acknowledged that he was pleased with his production.
“We saw good stuff out of what Tommy did in that second half, and we know exactly what we’re doing and the plan going forward,” Whittingham said. “We’re not going to tip our hand to the opponent, but we have a good plan in place, and that’s about all I can say on that right now.”
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Carr completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and ran four times for 36 yards and one score.
“I was really impressed with just how composed he was when he got in there,” Beck said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show with Jon Jansen. “That’s the big question mark. You do not know. When somebody’s stepping into real meaningful minutes for the very first time in a Big Ten game, what’s that going to look like? And man, he just looked like practice."
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tommy Carr will reportedly start for Michigan football vs Indiana