There is no suspense about who the starting quarterback of the Michigan football team will be next season. However, the No.2 job is still very much in question.
Michigan has no shortage of candidates.
Underwood is cemented as the QB1. Kyle Whittingham talked about how Jason Beck has done a great job of building an offense around the talents of the former No. 1 overall QB in the 2025 recruiting class.
Underwood wasn't flawless last season. He was never expected to be, though, as a first-time starter. That experience will be invaluable this season, though. He will be put in better positions next season. The play-calling will be better. The talent around Underwood will be better, too.
Michigan backup QB battle is interesting
The competition to play behind him will also be intense. Michigan football added a veteran backup from the transfer portal, in former Colorado State starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi.
Fowler-Nicolosi has started 28 games with 6,938 passing yards. He will be a great option this season as the backup; however, true freshman Tommy Carr has also thrown his hat into the ring with the way he has played so far this spring, according to what Kyle Whittingham said during his press conference on Tuesday.
"Tommy Carr is doing a nice job, I can tell you that. He’s probably the one who stands out so far. Nothing’s been set in stone, obviously, but just based on what we’ve seen to this point, Tommy has looked like he’s got a good skill set," Whittingham said via Josh Henschke of Maize and Blue Review.
Brady Smiglel is also on the roster, along with Chase Herbstreit. Colin Hurley, a four-star who signed with LSU in the 2024 class, but transferred after his redshirt freshman season, is another name to remember.
Regardless of who wins the job, there won't be a lack of competition, which is a good thing. It's also great to hear about Carr's skill set already. Michigan might have found a steal.