Michigan football is in a spot I don’t think many fans expected coming into the season; the Wolverines have benched former No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood for true freshman Tommy Carr.
Many people assumed this would be the case after Carr took over for Underwood in the second half of last Saturday’s game against Penn State. Now, reports have confirmed that Carr is expected to lead the Maize and Blue offense on Saturday against defending national champion Indiana at The Big House.
On Tuesday, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer joined the Dont @ Me podcast and discussed the QB room in Ann Arbor.
What Urban Said
First and foremost, the biggest question at hand is whether or not starting the true freshman is the right decision.
“Coach Whitt can say whatever he wants, Tommy Carr is your starting quarterback,” Meyer said. “You have to; he scored 21 points. They lose that game if Bryce Underwood’s in that game.”
Before Underwood was benched, Michigan hadn’t scored and the sophomore had thrown two interceptions as the Wolverines trailed 3-0 heading into halftime.
Meyer gave insight into how head coach Kyle Whittingham is feeling about the two QB's, as the two have a closer relationship, formerly coaching on the same staff in the early 2000s at Utah.
“I talk to Coach Whitt, and he loves the kid (Tommy Carr), but he actually loves Bryce Underwood,” Meyer said. “He is a great worker, an incredible talent. He is the only first-round talent I saw on that field when we covered them a couple times this year. He’s a freak athlete.”
Host of the Don’t @ Me podcast, Dan Dakich, asked Meyer what to do with Underwood now. Meyer pointed out some positives about the former starting QB.
“You know, the positive is, and I watched closely, he was so engaged, he must be a hell of a guy,” Meyer said. “A lot of times, you would think he might pack his bags and go. He was engaged… I’m not giving up on Bryce Underwood.”
Was Urban Right?
Meyer’s assessment of the situation and the two quarterbacks seems reasonable and on point, other than Underwood being the only first-round talent on Michigan’s team.
Underwood is still young and seems in over his head. He still has time for redemption, but he has a lot of bad habits to break. Physically, there is no question he is a good enough QB to be really good, but he still has a lot of work to do mentally as the leader of the offense.
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