Normally, when a former No. 1 overall recruit making millions in NIL money gets benched in the middle of October, everyone in college football knows what comes next. Guys clean out their lockers, shut it down with a minor injury, or have their agents start putting out feelers for the transfer portal. That is not what is happening in Ann Arbor right now with Bryce Underwood.
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Speaking with CBS Sports’ Brice Marich on Tuesday, Michigan wide receiver Andrew Marsh was asked how his close friend was taking the switch at quarterback.
“I’m not gonna say too much for him,” Marsh said. “Based on the conversations we had and just the guy I know he is. I mean, he’s a leader for the team. He’s somebody who’s gonna come and work no matter the circumstance.”
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham made the call to pull his sophomore quarterback following a rough stretch; Underwood had every excuse to check out. Instead, he is not letting this be the end of his UM career.
“He’s gonna do what he’s supposed to do, be there for the guys and be a leader,” Andrew Marsh concluded.
For Michigan fans who watched the program move heaven and earth, and put together an NIL package north of $12 million, to flip Underwood from LSU back in late 2024, seeing the Belleville native hold a clipboard in his second season is a tough pill to swallow.
Anyone who watched Michigan’s offense over the last few weeks, however, could see the move coming. Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck did not recruit Underwood. They came over from Utah this past winter after leading the Utes to an 11-2 record and a top-five scoring offense in 2025.
Whittingham was hired to bring toughness and immediate results back to Michigan, and he has spent his entire career proving he does not care about recruiting stars or paycheck sizes if the QB isn’t taking care of the football.
Lately, turnovers and missed reads have cost Michigan directly in the standings. In a 20-19 loss to Iowa, Underwood threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
The game, though, swung on two empty trips inside the Iowa red zone. On one, Beck called a 4th-and-1 quarterback sneak, and Bryce Underwood got stuffed short of the line to gain.
On another, Underwood and Marsh weren’t on the same page on a route into the corner of the end zone, leading to an interception by Hawkeyes CB and Bryce’s high school teammate Deshaun Lee. Michigan wound up losing by a single point when Iowa threw a walk-off touchdown pass as time expired.
Things looked much worse in a 20-14 loss to Minnesota. The Gophers got after Underwood early, sacking him three times and speeding up his feet in the pocket. He finished the day just 10-of-21 passing for 101 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions, including a brutal giveaway in the second half.
Even when Minnesota busted coverages and left receivers open downfield, Bryce Underwood either sailed the ball over their heads or hesitated to pull the trigger at all.
Beck, though, has a long track record of getting big numbers out of college quarterbacks, from Bryce Perkins and Brennan Armstrong at Virginia to Devon Dampier at New Mexico.
His system requires a passer who processes coverage quickly, hits his layups on time, and keeps the offense on schedule. With Underwood pressing and drives stalling out, Whittingham decided he couldn’t wait around for the sophomore to work through his mechanical issues on Saturday afternoons.
“Tommy had had an outstanding, first of all, bye week of practice. First of all, he’s had an outstanding, you know, ever since he stepped on campus, he’s been doing things the right way,” Whittingham said about his decision.
Tommy Carr gave the offense a lift when he came off the bench against Penn State. With his team trailing at halftime, the young QB showed he could hurt the defense with both his arm and his legs.
Carr completed five of seven passes for 47 yards and added 36 yards on the ground. His biggest moment came late in the game, when he ran for a 12-yard touchdown on third down.
The QB2 may not have Bryce Underwood’s arm strength, but he has shown a better grasp of the offense Beck wants to run. Beck pays close attention to a quarterback’s footwork because it often reveals how well he is reading the defense.
Carr stays composed through his progressions, gets the ball out on time, and doesn’t rush his decisions when the first option isn’t open. He also knows when to run.
Carr doesn’t abandon the pocket without reason, but he can take off when a defense gives him an opening. His 12-yard touchdown against Penn State was a clear example of that instinct.
Benching a homegrown five-star is still a massive gamble for Whittingham in his first year on the job. If the offense continues to sputter after the switch, the coaching staff risks alienating the most talented arm in the building.