Bryce Underwood unaware of Whittingham comments on starting role: 'That's cool'
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First-year Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Bryce Underwood's starting role wasn't permanent, noting he won't keep his job if he keeps playing like he did in the Wolverines' narrow Week 1 win over Western Michigan.
The former No. 1-ranked recruit of the 2025 recruiting class completed 12-of-22 passes for 170 yards with a touchdown and two turnovers in the 13-12 win, with 47 of those yards and the score coming on a game-winning, last-second Hail Mary pass to JJ Buchanan as time expired. His QBR of 36.7 ranks 102nd nationally through one week of the season, although he also rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Underwood said he was unaware of Whittingham's comments about his status, and was taken aback when a reporter relied what was said.
"There were comments about that? Underwood said Wednesday, Sept. 9 to media. "That's cool. I didn't see that. That's cool."
Whittingham said not just Underwood, but Michigan as a whole needs to improve. And while he committed to Underwood being the starter for now, he left the door open for a potential change down the road.
True freshman Tommy Carr, the brother of Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr and grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, is the backup. The Wolverines also have Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, a former multi-year starter from Colorado State.
"He's our QB right now, and it's not something that's infinite," Whittingham said after the game vs Western Michigan. "At some point, we've got to turn a corner and we've got to see improvement as we do with a bunch of stuff. We got to see improvement out of the coaches, and so it's not just on Bryce."
Underwood flipped his longtime commitment from LSU to Michigan before signing day as a high school senior, before winning the starting role as a true freshman. He showed flashes at times last season, but mostly struggled, passing for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions on the year, along with 392 rushing yards and six scores.
It won't get any easier in Week 2, either, as he's set to face a Brent Venables-led defense at home against No. 10 Oklahoma, which held Underwood to 9-of-24 passing last season.
Whittingham later clarified his stance from his pre-Oklahoma press conference on Sept. 7, noting no one's job is safe on the roster, not just Underwood.
Regardless, it's not a great sign for the majorly talented quarterback.
"It's not just Bryce's job that is not absolutely set in concrete," Whittingham said. "Nobody's is. You got to perform week in and week out and become somebody that we feel like is playing at a level that we can win with, and that goes far beyond Bryce. It goes throughout the whole team, and what you've done lately is very important in football."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryce Underwood unaware of Whittingham comments on starting role: 'That's cool'
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