USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Bryce Underwood celebrates with Tommy Carr on the sidelines.
Don’t expect to see former five-star recruit Bryce Underwood starting for the Michigan Wolverines again anytime soon. At least, not if head coach Kyle Whittingham has his way.
Whittingham told members of the media on Monday that Tommy Carr, who took over for Underwood midway through the Wolverines’ win over Penn State, will remain the starter for the foreseeable future.
But Whittingham’s reasoning for keeping Carr as QB1 ahead of Underwood isn’t exactly the most sound.
Kyle Whittingham Is Using Rutgers As A Gauge For Tommy Carr’s Play
Carr played well in the Wolverines’ 28-21 win over Rutgers this past weekend, completing 22-of-27 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown.
And that, Whittingham says, is the reason that he’s the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback for Michigan.
Not a surprise, but Tommy Carr is Michigan’s starting QB this week and for the “foreseeable future,” Kyle
Whittingham says.He noted that if you extrapolated Carr’s numbers against Rutgers to a full season, he’d be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country.
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) November 2, 2026
“Tommy will start this week and for the foreseeable future, unless something changes,” Whittingham said. “He played so well. I mean, it’s pretty much a given. We haven’t had (a) conversation with the team since the game because Sunday’s their day off. But we’ll cover all that. We’ll cover a lot of that ground this morning.”
Whittingham then pointed out that according to ESPN’s QBR, Carr was one of the best quarterbacks in the country this past weekend.
And that’s true. But there’s just one issue with using that to decide who the starter is going forward.
Rutgers has one of the worst defenses in FBS football. The Scarlet Knights are allowing 418 yards per game on average, which ranks 123rd in the nation among 138 teams.
Things don’t get much better when you look at the pass defense either. Rutgers ranks 88th in the nation in passing yards allowed at 223.6 per game.
So yes, Carr played well. And he might be the answer moving forward. But using Rutgers to judge overall performance might be a little shortsighted.