Other Options
There is a very real -- if not likely -- possibility that Michigan doesn't land Bryce Underwood. With only two weeks until signing day who else could Michigan land and could they be a better fit?
There is the potential for Michigan to go back to Carter Smith -- the highly talented quarterback out of Florida who beat out Ohio State freshman standout Jeremiah Smith to win the state's Gatorade Player of the Year award last season. Smith was commited to the Wolverines but recently decommited and reopened his recruitment with the growing speculation around Michigan and Underwood. Smith is a definite culture fit and has a ton of potential. The problem is that he isn't as polished, meaning he will likely need a few years to make an impact. For Sherrone Moore who is facing job uncertainty, he might not have time to wait.
Another name to potentially keep an eye is Cal commit Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele. The Hawaii native has been commited to the bears since July but has been taking visits to other schools including Oregon and Georgia. Jaron was recently named a five star recruit according to On3. Former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardener actually talked about Keawe Sagapolutele a few weeks ago on the MMQB. Gardener was working a camp for the elite 11 when he said that Jaron really stood out, talking about his size, natural throwing ability, and leadership.
There is no guarantee that Michigan will land any of these quarterbacks, but the most important thing has to be finding the best culture fit at the position. Landing a five-star would be great but unless Michigan starts asking their quarterback to throw the ball 40-50 times a game it likely won't make that big of an impact. J.J. McCarthy's best trait was always his leadership. His ability to make and extend plays certainly helped, but if you had to give up one of those two you'd sacrifice the latter. Don't believe me? Who had more success at Michigan -- Shea Patterson or Cade McNamara? The point is if Michigan truly feels that Bryce Underwood is their guy on and off the field then great. If not, they need to find someone else and they need to find them fast with signing day soon approaching.