A week after Tommy Carr came off the bench and helped the Michigan Wolverines notch a victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions, he appears to have taken over the quarterback job on a more permanent basis. According to On3.com's Pete Nakos, Carr will make his first career start on Saturday against the defending-champion Indiana Hoosiers.
Carr, a consensus four-star recruit and grandson of legendary Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, replaced the struggling Bryce Underwood at halftime. Prior to the switch, Underwood had committed two interceptions and accounted for only 43 passing yards and another 11 as a rusher. Carr didn't produce significantly more passing yards (47), but he avoided turnovers and provided a greater threat as a runner, finishing the game with four carries for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Move to Carr seemed inevitable after last week
On Monday, Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham chose not to reveal which quarterback would start this weekend against Indiana. However, he did confirm that the coaching staff had already made its decision, and Carr seemed like the choice.
"We saw good stuff out of what Tommy did in that second half," Whittingham said. "And we know exactly what we're doing with the plan going forward. We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent. But we have a good plan in place. That's about all I can say on that.
When asked about whether Carr, who has played less than 50 career snaps at Michigan, could handle the entire playbook, Whittingham expressed confidence that the mental workload wouldn't burden the freshman signal-caller.
"There's not a quarterback that I've ever been around that studies any more than Tommy Carr," Whittingham said. "And his football IQ is off the charts. He's got a football mind. He's a football junkie, and he is a real student of the game."
The praise for the young quarterback, coupled with the admission from Whittingham that the team had determined a starter, all but confirmed that Carr would start this upcoming weekend.
What the change means for Underwood
At least for the foreseeable future, Underwood will spend game days on the sidelines. Though the Wolverines could theoretically platoon two quarterbacks, Whittingham admitted that he does not care for that approach.
"It's something that has worked for some people through the years. I've never been big on it," Whittingham said. "I don't know if percentage wise, you hear the old adage, 'If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one.' Everyone's heard that thing. So, we'll see what happens. But as far as teams I've coached, it's never been a real prevalent thing for us."
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Underwood won't see the field again for Michigan. He would presumably replace Carr in the event of an injury or if the freshman struggled badly enough. After the Wolverines benched Underwood last weekend, he continued to take an active leadership role, suggesting that he has not quit on the team despite the role change.
However, if Carr remains the starting quarterback for the rest of 2026, it seems a fait accompli that Underwood will find his way to the transfer portal.
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