Tommy Carr's first fall camp is a painful reminder of what could have been at Michigan

Fall camp has now been in session for a week in Ann Arbor, and so far, there hasn't been much drama. New Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham likes to keep his cards pretty close to his chest, so there hasn't been much video released, except for what the official Michigan football social media page shares.

There was one photo of current backup quarterback Tommy Carr, who is currently in a battle with transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for that position. Whittingham said Carr was entering fall camp as the QB2, but with Fowler-Nicolosi coming in, there would be a battle for those reps.

Carr coming into camp as the QB2 with a battle on his hands made sense after the hype he garnered following the Michigan spring game. Carr put on a show, and some would say he even played better than Underwood in that game. It is great to see Carr come to Ann Arbor and find success quickly, but it has to be a painful reminder of what could have been if the Wolverines had landed his brother, CJ Carr, back in 2024.

Michigan fumbled the bag with having a Carr dynasty at the quarterback position

Michigan fans might say the Wolverines are better off with Bryce Underwood than they would have been with CJ Carr, but the numbers last season tell a different story. Carr has over 300 more passing yards, even with playing one fewer game, 13 more touchdowns, and three fewer interceptions. Underwood had Carr beat in the run game, but when you have a running back like Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame, there is no need to have Carr run the ball all that much.

Sure, Underwood could break out this season, and Carr may struggle without the security blanket of Love in the backfield, but it's hard not to think about having both CJ and Tommy on the same team. When Carr was first being recruited, it was Jim Harbaugh leading the way, but he recently said in an interview that he felt Michigan relied more on his family connection during his recruitment instead of actively going after him as the Irish did. 

So, Carr chose to go to Notre Dame over Michigan, a place his father played and won a National Championship, and where his grandfather once coached, as well. Now at Notre Dame, after a solid first season as the starter for the Irish, a job he had to win in a QB battle, Carr is garnering not just Heisman hype, but first-round NFL Draft pick hype as well. 

Imagine if CJ had chosen Michigan all those years ago. Who knows if he would have had as much success as he has at Notre Dame, but the dynasty the Wolverines could have had on their hands. Three years of CJ and all his talent, and during that third year, Tommy comes in, learns from his brother, and is passed the baton. What a story that could have been.

Seeing Tommy wearing that Michigan uniform has to make fans wonder what could have been with both him and his brother in Ann Arbor. The world will never know.

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