Ever since Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham turned to Tommy Carr at halftime of the Penn State game, it has felt like the writing was on the wall for the Bryce Underwood era.
On Monday, after Carr's second start, a 28-21 win over Rutgers, in which Carr completed 22-of-27 passes for 266 yards, in addition to rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown, Whittingham announced he would be the starting quarterback moving forward, for the "foreseeable future."
Whether that means beyond this season is anyone's guess. That will certainly depend on the way Carr plays the final month of the season.
Regardless, it's hard to see Underwood back in a Michigan football uniform next season, at least if Whittingham is still the head coach. You can never say never, but if Underwood does enter the portal, here are the five most intriguing fits.
Ole Miss
With Trinidad Chambliss moving on after this season, Ole Miss will be in search of a new starting quarterback. Offensive coordinator John David Becker has done a nice job with Chambliss and the system seems like a better fit.
Underwood is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound quarterback with elite arm talent. He runs 4.4/4.5. Turn on the Oklahoma game to see what he can do with his legs. In the right system, a read-option kind of system, he can excel.
Put Underwood in the old Urban Meyer system and it feels like the kid would thrive. His struggles this season make you wish he had another year with Chip Lindsey. We probably underestimated how much changing offensive systems would set back his development.
In a new enviornment, in a system that suits him better, Underwood could still be a successful quarterback, and Ole Miss, could get a five-star talent on the cheap.
Missouri
Speaking of Chip Lindsey, this is the fit that makes the most sense. It depends on what happens with Austin Simmons. He's a senior for Missouri, but will have a fifth year if he wants to take it.
Simmons has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only two interceptions this season. He hasn't done much as a runner, but it would be intriguing to pair Underwood with Lindsey.
There is a familiarity there, and Lindsey's best games with Underwood were when Sherrone Moore wasn't coaching. That definitely caused him to be more conservative.
Simmons would probably come back next season, but Underwood showed that he can be the backup quarterback and not cause problems. He might not want to sit for a season. Yet, it worked for Dante Moore. He was trending to be a top-five pick before his recent injury.
Underwood could sit for a year, get some seasoning and have two seasons left to show what he can do. Getting out of the spotlight and getting back to the fundamentals would be good for him.
Kentucky
Sticking with the SEC, the Wildcats are another team that make sense. Kentucky doesn't have the NIL warchest that some other conference rivals do.
In the case of Underwood, that might not matter. He's already cashed in on NIL. The next stop should be about development for the next level.
Underwood is not on track to be a draftable quarterback. His trajectory needs to change and Will Stein could help with that. He's the coach that guided Moore last season, and got him talked about as the potential No. 1 overall pick.
Kenny Minchey is playing lights out for Kentucky. He's got 16 touchdown passes compared to one interception. He also has another year, so Underwood might have to sit.
However, that would be the same scenario that worked for Moore with the same coach. If Underwood is open to it, the move would make a ton of sense for both sides.
Oregon
The Ducks have landed two former five-star quarterbacks out of the transfer portal, why not three? It worked with Dante Moore.
Moore is out for the rest of this season. It's not clear if he will come back or enter the NFL draft. It's also not clear if Dylan Raiola can play well enough to lock down the starting job for next season.
If Moore leaves, Underwood and Raiola could compete for the job. Underwood is a different quarterback. He's not as polished as a passer, but he's a much more dangerous runner, so it could even work playing both, at least until Underwood is more confident as a passer.
Oregon just fired its offensive coordinator, so that hire will matter a lot in terms of attracting quarterbacks. If Moore comes back, though, and if Raiola possibly transfers to start somewhere else, Underwood could follow in Moore's footsteps, literally.
USC
Jayden Maiava is a quarterback that won't have another year to play. He's a redshirt senior, to this is his fifth year.
There isn't an heir apparent either. USC has some talented quarterbacks waiting in the wings, but Riley has done wonders for other quarterbacks in the past, namely, Jalen Hurts.
Underwood would have to learn a new system, but Riley has had success with dual-threat quarterbacks. He would know how to get the most out of Underwood.
Riley would also put him in a position to succeed. Underwood would have three years to play. Riley would be betting on himself, but the idea of those two getting paired together is certainly an intriguing one.
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