Michigan Football 2026 position group breakdown: Quarterbacks

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The 2025 Michigan football season was supposed to be special.

The Wolverines had seemingly found the prince that was promised. Michigan had landed its highest touted recruit in program history in quarterback Bryce Underwood. He was touted as a prospect in the echelon of Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams, a dual-threat quarterback with a terrifyingly strong arm who could one day be the first overall pick in the NFL draft. The Wolverines had lurched through a carousel of inconsistent quarterbacks in 2024, but by pairing their new hope with a seasoned coaching staff and a defense still replete with talent, they looked poised to return to the College Football Playoff.

But reality can sometimes fail to live up to expectations. Underwood was far from bad last year, but he was often underwhelming and looked painfully like the true freshman that he was. The result was a subpar 9-4 season where the Wolverines lost to Ohio State for the first time since 2019 and ended the season with a 42-27 loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl. The subsequent offseason was…eventful, to say the least.

Underwood is still the unquestioned starter, though he’ll be backed by an entirely rebuilt coaching staff under the command of former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Today, we’ll take a look at all the quarterbacks on the roster ahead of the 2026 season.

The starter: Bryce Underwood, sophomore

It was easy to make excuses for Underwood in 2025, from a subpar wide receiver room to the off-field conduct of former head coach Sherrone Moore to his status as a true freshman. There will be no room for further excuses this year, but I don’t think he’ll need them.

Underwood’s physical talent is obvious. At 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds, he possesses the hulking frame that’s become the norm for dual-threat quarterbacks. He’s electric as a runner, bridging speed and power with vision, and has a rocket for an arm. 

But beyond his physical traits, Underwood already looks like he’s learning the mental aspects of playing the position. One thing that stood out to me was his pocket presence. There were quite a few plays last season where I thought Underwood was about to check into a play that would’ve resulted in a sack, and he made the correct read and avoided that. That’s a trait that takes years for some quarterbacks to develop, even in the NFL, and he’s got at least some of it. 

There were some clear signals he’s still a freshman, of course. I noticed he wouldn’t always go through his progressions — he’d sometimes lock in on his first read and not realize there were other open receivers, and the result was an interception or an incompletion. That’s not unique to Underwood, but rather a symptom of being a young quarterback. With an overhauled coaching staff, his physical traits and an improved receiver room, there are plenty of reasons to expect Underwood to take a great leap forward from raw true freshman quarterback to a genuinely electrifying dual-threat starter.

The backups: Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, sophomore; Tommy Carr, freshman

This is where the real drama in the quarterback room lies.

Fowler-Nicolosi brings experience with 28 career starts, but his numbers aren’t thrilling, as he averaged 247.79 yards per game and throwing 38 touchdowns to 29 interceptions. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he possesses some physical traits worth noting, such as a strong arm.

However, I think Fowler-Nicolosi’s only real function within the locker room will be to provide experience. I think the actual backup position has been pretty solidly settled, and it’s by the freshman who bears one of the famous last names in program history.

The grandson of the legendary Lloyd Carr and younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, Tommy was a four-star recruit who played his high school football at Saline High School. He was impressive in April’s spring game, going 21-for-30 for 143 passing yards and 59 rushing yards. I think he has the advantage in the position battle over Fowler-Nicolosi for the simple fact he’s been on the roster longer and has had more time to acclimatize — Fowler-Nicolosi was not on the spring game roster and didn’t arrive in Ann Arbor until the summer term — but I won’t be surprised if both of them get snaps during blowouts this fall. 

The other names to know: Chase Herbstreit, sophomore; Brady Smigiel, freshman

Carr’s not the only quarterback with a famous last name in the room, as Chase Herbstreit, son of Ohio State alum and College GameDay staple Kirk Herbstreit, enters his second year on the roster. Herbstreit didn’t play a single snap in 2025, and I doubt that changes in 2026, but you can never say never with the competition at backup quarterback relatively unproven.

Rounding out the group is Smigiel, who will likely redshirt this year. He was a four-star recruit from California who had his promising senior season derailed by an ACL tear. He is a name to know for the future, but not for the 2026 season.

Verdict

I think there’s a high ceiling for this group, and that’s on Underwood. If he hits his potential or even takes a meaningful step towards it, he’ll be one of the best starters in the Big Ten. But given the fact Underwood is a relatively unknown commodity coming off a difficult freshman year and that no one else in this room has taken a snap for Michigan, I have to give it a grade that reflects that low floor.

GRADE: C+

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