Eric Weddle predicted Michigan would bench Bryce Underwood, and now his son may be paying the price. The former NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl champion, who played under Kyle Whittingham at Utah, questioned Underwood’s abilities in May. Five months later, Michigan benched the former No. 1 recruit after two interceptions against Penn State, with freshman Tommy Carr leading the Wolverines to a 21-18 win. But the bigger controversy involves what reportedly happened to Weddle’s son’s recruitment.

“I ended up being right,” Weddle told the Detroit Free Press on October 19. But his prediction may have come at a personal cost, despite Michigan previously offering his four-star son, Gaige, a scholarship.

“But he was taken aback after he realized Whittingham and his staff, with the exception of defensive assistant Lewis Powell, a former teammate at Utah, cut off contact with him and stopped recruiting Gaige,” Detroit Sports Podcast’s X post read. “It was more difficult to understand considering the relationships he had developed over the years with multiple Michigan coaches. Weddle’s critique of Underwood seemed to come at a personal cost.”

Michigan offered Gaige a scholarship shortly after Whittingham took over in December 2025. Eric accompanied his son on an April recruiting visit to Ann Arbor, where he watched Underwood practice after seeing two Michigan games the previous season. Weddle’s relationship with Whittingham dates back to Utah, where he played from 2003 through 2006. Whittingham spent two seasons as his defensive coordinator and another two as head coach.

During a late-May appearance on the Zero 2 Sixty podcast, Weddle said, “I don’t think he could throw or play quarterback.” He later clarified to Rich Eisen that he was questioning Underwood’s championship-level accuracy. “I don’t take back what I said,” Weddle told Eisen in June. “Is he talented? Yes. Is he a freak of nature? Yeah. No one’s denying that. I’m not naive to that, but I do know what high-level championship quarterback play looks like.”

Weddle questioned whether Underwood fit Whittingham’s defense-first, run-heavy approach. In 2025, Underwood completed 60.3% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Weddle challenged him to prove his criticism wrong.

Gaige, a 2028 four-star quarterback and safety at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo High, plays under his father, Eric. As a sophomore, he threw for 2,224 yards, rushed for 679, and recorded 101 tackles. Utah, Ohio State, and Georgia reportedly lead his recruitment, with visits planned to UCLA, Oklahoma, Utah, Georgia, Miami, and Ohio State. Michigan is missing despite previously offering him a scholarship.

During an October 8 appearance on ESPN 700’s The Sean O’Connell Show, Weddle discussed Utah head coach Morgan Scalley visiting Rancho Bernardo to watch Gaige. Against Del Norte, the teenager recorded 137 passing yards, 168 rushing yards, three combined offensive touchdowns, and 10 tackles, according to his father.

Questions about Weddle’s contact with Michigan surfaced before Underwood’s October 17 benching. Neither Gaige’s scholarship withdrawal nor retaliation by Whittingham has been confirmed.

Bryce Underwood’s Benching Proves Eric Weddle Right

Underwood has completed 72 of 124 passes for 924 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2026. Michigan lost consecutive games to Iowa, 20-19, and Minnesota, 20-14, scoring fewer than 20 points in four of its first five games. Against Penn State, Underwood went 5-of-11 for 43 yards as Michigan managed just 80 yards and no points before halftime.

“I’m not happy that he got benched,” Weddle told the Detroit Free Press. “But I saw what I saw, and the truth hurts. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t like being right. But if I saw something egregious from the quarterback position, don’t be mad because I pointed it out… What I saw wasn’t good enough. And so it ultimately came true.”

“Michigan is currently expected to make a change at quarterback and is currently expected to start freshman Tommy Carr at QB against No. 6 Indiana on Saturday,” Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported on X.

Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and defensive back Tom Curtis, is also the younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr. The four-star Saline recruit flipped from Miami (Ohio) last November and impressed during Michigan’s spring game.

Against Penn State, Carr went 5-of-7 for 47 yards, rushed four times for 36 yards, and scored a 12-yard touchdown with 2:58 remaining. Michigan rushed for 174 yards after halftime compared with 37 in the first half. Whittingham said Carr “took care of the football,” while Carr said he prepared “every day like I was the starter.”

Michigan (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) faces defending national champion Indiana before Rutgers, with Carr expected to start and Underwood’s role uncertain.

Weddle predicted Underwood’s benching, but whether his criticism cost Gaige a recruiting opportunity remains unproven.