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Michigan will not bench Bryce Underwood after the Western Michigan game.
The Michigan football team escaped with a one-point win over Western Michigan in its 2026 season opener. Starting quarterback Bryce Underwood took the brunt of the blame after a poor showing.
It was the passer’s third straight disappointing appearance dating back to last year. Head coach Kyle Whittingham is not ready to give up.
The coach addressed the quarterback situation as noise builds around a potential change under center. The Wolverines will not bench Underwood ahead of a matchup vs. Oklahoma.
Bryce Underwood hasn’t met expectations.
The passer signed with Michigan as the nation’s No. 1 player. He boasted unanimous five-star status. It took a massive NIL deal to flip him from LSU.
Underwood committed to the Tigers as a high school junior despite growing up 15 miles away from Ann Arbor. He had a change of heart close to National Signing Day. A $12 million deal, funded in part by Dave Portnoy, played a major role.
Michigan agreed to pay Byrce Underwood no less than $3 million per year. There was a ton of hype. Expectations have not been met.
Underwood threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman in 2025. Michigan won nine games. Still, he failed to show up in the most important moments.
Underwood went 9-for-24 in a loss to Oklahoma. He threw for just 86 yards in a rivalry win over Michigan State. He was downright bad during the season finale against Ohio State. That was followed by a three-interception bowl performance vs. Texas.
Most were willing to live with the growing pains so long as improvement was shown in his sophomore year. His season opener was, unfortunately, a disaster.
Michigan struggled with Western Michigan.
The Wolverines avoided complete embarrassment thanks to a controversial review before the final play of the game. Bryce Underwood threw a Hail Mary out the back of the endzone. Time appeared to run off the clock. One second was later added to provide another chance.
The quarterback connected on the ensuing Hail Mary to give Michigan a 13-12 win. It was not enough to overshadow his poor performance.
Underwood was 12-for-22 with a touchdown and an interception in the game. He threw for 170 yards, much of which came on that final play.
Noise surrounding his status as the starter is loud. Backup Tommy Carr has the attention of the coaching staff. Some fans are ready to move on. Kyle Whittingham won’t admit the program overpaid for its starting quarterback.
“He’s our QB right now,” Whittingham said while addressing the media. “It’s not infinite. At some point, we’ve got to turn the corner. We’ve got to see improvement…
“It’s not just on Bryce… It’s unfortunate and disappointing, because we see him every day and he was very sharp all through fall camp. I don’t really have an explanation. I hope we see improvements from Game 1 to Game 2.”
Bryce Underwood will not be benched for the Oklahoma game. He remains the starter despite poor results in his last three games. His new head coach is not ready to give up on Michigan’s investment. He sees the potential, even if it hasn’t translated to game action.
The Wolverines hope to see a turnaround as the season treks on. The test gets much more difficult in Week 2 vs. a stout Oklahoma defense that smothered Underwood last year.
If the struggles continue, Whittingham could be forced to demote his starting quarterback despite a $12 million price tag.