Michigan Names Starting QB vs Penn State Amid Calls to Bench Bryce Underwood

Kyle Whittingham’s first season at Michigan has been far rockier than expected.

The Wolverines opened with a controversial 13-12 victory over Western Michigan, a close call against a MAC opponent that would have gone down as one of the worst losses in program history. They bounced back with a 17-10 win over Oklahoma, which itself has had an up-and-down start to the year, then routed UTEP 52-17.

The past two weeks, though, exposed Michigan against Big Ten competition. The Wolverines fell 20-19 to Iowa at home and followed it with a 20-14 loss at Minnesota. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood has been among the biggest letdowns during that stretch, but Whittingham says he’s staying with him as Michigan prepares to host Penn State on Saturday. The coach also said offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who has faced criticism throughout the season, will keep his job.

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Underwood reportedly signed a four-year NIL deal worth around $12 million to flip his recruitment from LSU to Michigan. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class and the most coveted prospect in the country at the time. Yet, his first season at Michigan was already disappointing, and he’s looked even worse in Year 2.

Through the first five games, he’s completed just 59.3% of his passes for 881 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions, adding 212 rushing yards and two rushing scores. He’s also been trending in the wrong direction. His worst game came in Week 5 against Minnesota, where he finished with 101 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, along with just 20 rushing yards.

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For a top prospect with elite physical tools, and a player the school paid millions to land, that kind of production is hard to justify. There have been calls for Michigan to turn to freshman Tommy Carr, a former four-star recruit and the younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. But Carr has made just one brief appearance this season, in the UTEP blowout, when he went 2 of 2 for 23 yards and a touchdown and added 18 rushing yards on two carries.

Whittingham remains committed to Underwood for now, and he’ll likely stay the starter for the rest of the season given what the school's invested in him. But if the losses continue, Whittingham may feel pressure to make a change, and Underwood’s future at Michigan would quickly become one of the biggest stories in college football.