Michigan’s Hope for a Hometown Hero in Bryce Underwood Is Finished

When Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan in November 2024, he did what any Gen Z star would do to announce the news: post on social media. Instagram was his preferred method of sharing the news and the Detroit native opted for a two-word caption to accompany video of his announcement. It read “Hometown. Hero.”

Fewer than two years later, Underwood’s time playing for his home-state school may be at an end. 

The No. 1 quarterback recruit in the class of 2025 was benched after a miserable first half in the Big House, one that again ended in audible boos from the Michigan faithful after the Wolverines went scoreless and trailed visiting Penn State 3–0. Underwood went 5 for 11 for 43 yards and two interceptions, both of which came in Penn State territory, and he was replaced by backup Tommy Carr, a true freshman. Carr, who arrived at Michigan as an early enrollee in the class of 2026 this past January, isn’t quite the recruit that Underwood is, but comes to Ann Arbor with an impressive pedigree as the younger brother of Notre Dame CJ Carr and grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. Like Underwood, he too bleeds maize and blue. 

The quarterback change by Kyle Whittingham paid off instantly as Carr led touchdown drives on two of his first three drives behind center. He wasn’t special. He didn’t need to make any over-the-top plays. He ended the game, a 21–18 Michigan win, with just five completions on seven attempts for 47 yards. But he was controlled and clean with the football, ending the game with zero turnovers. He also scored the decisive touchdown, an 11-yard scramble on third-and-9 to put Michigan up by 10 points with 2:58 remaining.

At this point, all of what Carr did on the field Saturday was a vast improvement from what the Wolverines had been getting from their highly priced, former five-star recruit. 

The warning signs have been there, building since the opening game of the season, when Underwood needed an extra second to throw a Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan—a MAC team that has since lost by 25 points to Boise State and struggled with conference opponents. Underwood followed up that debacle by completing nine passes in a defense-led win against Oklahoma, instead relying on his legs (18 carries for 87 yards, one TD) to generate any sort of juice for a struggling offense. A slow start against UTEP didn’t help inspire confidence, though after three games, Michigan managed to boast a 3–0 record. 

Not shockingly, the undefeated start came crashing to an end when Underwood’s issues protecting the football reached a breaking point at the start of Big Ten play. He was inaccurate, and worse, careless with the football. Against Iowa and Minnesota, he completed just 55.1% of his passes with three interceptions compared to two touchdowns. The Wolverines were held scoreless in the second half against the Golden Gophers, meaning Saturday’s dismal showing against Penn State made it four straight quarters without a point scored when Underwood was behind center.

Through their first five games, Michigan had failed to score 20 points in a game four different times. They ranked 102nd in the nation in scoring and 106th in yards per play (5.4). Underwood ranked 101st out of 124 eligible quarterbacks in completion percentage and tied for 106th in interception percentage. With his two interceptions in the first half on Saturday, he brought his turnover total for the season to eight, compared to just seven total touchdowns.

The lasting image of Michigan’s scoreless first half against Penn State, and perhaps Underwood’s tenure in Ann Arbor, came less than two minutes of game time before the second pick, when the CBS broadcast showed Underwood jogging off the field shouting at his sideline. Whether done out of frustration, or an effort to inspire his teammates, it’s a sentiment that every Wolverines fan in the building could relate to on Saturday. 

Given his standing as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 QB in the high school class just two years ago, Underwood is sure to have a number of suitors should he enter the transfer portal. It may not come at a national championship contender or at a program with as deep pockets as Michigan. But Underwood’s college career is far from finished. He’s just 19 years old and has time to develop. There’s also been too many examples of quarterbacks who have flourished after a change of scenery—even if they haven’t struggled quite as mightily as Underwood has in his first 19 starts. 

But it’s become clear that the place to thrive isn’t Ann Arbor. Two different head coaches haven’t mattered. Two different offensive coordinators haven’t made a difference. Whatever’s going on hasn’t worked and in this era of college football, it’s hard to believe that both sides will stick through another half-season of growing pains to try and come out stronger in Year 3. 

Credit to Underwood, he stayed engaged on the sideline after getting benched. The broadcast suggested that he was speaking to Carr in between possessions and he was one of the first to celebrate with his replacement after Carr’s fourth-quarter rushing touchdown. Whittingham has never spoken poorly about Underwood as a teammate and said in his postgame interview that he changed quarterbacks because he was looking for a “spark.” That’s all it boils down to: Carr gave Michigan a spark. Underwood didn’t—and he hasn’t all season. 

And though Ann Arbor may be home, Underwood may be better off looking elsewhere to find a spark of his own.