Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham has finally made his decision about who he is going to start at quarterback against the Penn State Nittany Lions. He announced at his press conference on Monday morning that not only is quarterback Bryce Underwood going to be the starter, but offensive coordinator Jason Beck will continue to call plays as well.
Michigan fans are going to have to keep waiting to see Tommy Carr get a start. It is surprising that the Wolverines are sticking with Underwood. This season, in five games played, he has completed 59.3% of his passes for 881 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Underwood has also rushed for 212 yards on 57 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham reacts next to quarterback Bryce Underwood after the 20-19 loss to Iowa on the game’s final play at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
What Whittingham Said About the Quarterback Call
Whittingham did not spend much time on it. “Jason will call plays and Bryce is our guy, and we’ll move forward,” he said Monday. The competition was not for show, either: Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, took roughly half of the first-team reps during the open week. His only game action this season came in the blowout win over UTEP, when he completed both of his pass attempts.
Michigan Fans React to Whittingham Sticking With Bryce Underwood
The Wolverines are 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, and sticking with Underwood instead of Carr coming out of the bye week has plenty of fans upset with the decision Whittingham has made. Michigan fans sound like the 2026 college football season is already over.
The NIL Deal Fans Keep Pointing To
Underwood’s On3 NIL valuation for the 2026 college football season is $3 million. Did Michigan keep him on the field because of that historic NIL deal? Plenty of fans think so. Michigan and Penn State kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS, and if Underwood struggles once again against the Nittany Lions, Whittingham will keep being asked about the quarterback position.