3 takeaways from Michigan's spring game that matter moving forward

Like the NFL preseason, fans tend to overreact to what they see during spring games, whether it's good or bad.

Among Michigan football fans, there is a good deal of overreacting when it comes to the performance of Bryce Underwood.

Underwood was 3-of-9 for 22 yards and took two sacks. But it's easy to take that out of context. It's also easy to overreact to some of the other things we saw on Saturday in Michigan's spring game, but here are three takeaways that really matter moving forward.

Bryce Underwood still isn't polished

Underwood still has work to do, especially on the fundamentals. He missed some throws he should have hit, but he wasn't playing with the starters either, at least all of them, as teams were split.

You want Underwood to be the best player on the field. But he's still progressing. Quarterback development isn't linear. He also did plenty of good things during the other 14 practices this spring.

Kyle Whittingham stood firm that Underwood was QB1, and once he cleans all that stuff up, he will start to realize this ceiling.

One small sample size isn't enough to worry about. Now, if Underwood completes 33 percent of his passes in a game this fall, then fans will have reason to be concerned.

Until then, let's see what he does during an actual game in 2026, because as much as people want to act like he was bust, he had some really good moments a year ago.

Turn on the Wisconsin and Washington games, and even a big part of the Texas game if you don't believe me. Saturday was a step back, but it feels like he's taken more steps forward this spring. They just weren't all broadcast on TV.

Tommy Carr is a future starter

After the game, Kyle Whittingham said that Carr had everything you want in a Big Ten quarterback. He was accurate with the football, made quick decisions, and ran for 59 yards. Carr was more athletic than most realized. He was effective running in the read-option and to gain extra yards.

Carr doesn't have the arm talent that Underwood does. But he was fundamentally sound, and looks like a great option for the No. 2 QB. Remember, it was just a spring game. Davis Warren had his moments in those games, too, but Carr looks like a future starter.

If Michigan can keep him as the backup for the next two years, it will be playing with house money heading into the 2028 season.

The defense looks legit

Michigan didn't have its best pass rusher, its best safety, and one of its best cornerbacks, and still the defense only allowed 13 points to the offense.

There was a missed field goal, and some goal-line stands, but the run defense was solid, and the coverage, despite being vanilla, was really good. So was the pass rush.

Enow Etta, Trey Pierce, and Deyvid Palepale all looked like they took a jump. Lugard Edokpayi (6-7, 260) looks ready to be a Big Ten contributor. Dom Nichols looks better. Cameron Brandt did, too, and Nate Marshall, a top-50 recruit entering his sophomore season, had a sack.

Troy Bowles was noticeably better, too. And if the defensive line is good, it will mask the linebackers. Depth is a concern there, but there is reason to be optimistic about the top three.

All in all, I'd be stunned if Michigan didn't have a top-20 scoring defense in 2026. That's maybe the most important takeaway from the spring game.

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