After the annual spring game in Ann Arbor, freshman quarterback Tommy Carr has been the talk of the town, carrying the Maize and Blue to victory. But all is not well in Michigan Stadium, as there seems to be a problem brewing on the Wolverines' roster. 

On Tuesday, April 21, in conversation with Andrew Kahn and Ryan Zuke from MLive, Michigan analyst Aaron McMann spoke about starting QB, Bryce Underwood's performance during the Spring game on Saturday.

“He looked like his old self,” McMann said. “He didn’t look like there was a ton of development there. The feet were moving a lot. He looked uncomfortable.” 

The former five-star and number one prospect in the class of 2025 had a rough showing at the 2026 Spring game at The Big House on April 18, 2026. Underwood did not play more than a quarter, went 3-of-9, had 22 passing yards, and was sacked twice. Not a fantastic showing from the Michigan sophomore.

The QB initially committed to LSU and then changed his mind to stay in-state and play for the Wolverines. As a true freshman, Bryce Underwood started for the maize and blue. 

Some old patterns showed up, and there are questions about Underwood’s ability to lead an offense. Some of the issues include having happy feet (rapid movement when panic sets in the pocket), throwing off his back foot, and being inaccurate. The analysts opined that there hadn't been any significant progress since last season.

Zuke, while recapping the scrimmage, agreed with McMann and said, “It almost looked like he felt uncomfortable because they were playing full contact.” 

He further added, “He wasn’t able to be touched, but like he didn’t really look comfortable on some of the throws.” 

This is a decline from his performance last season, where the QB showcased one of the cleanest, strongest arms in the season's QB class.

In the 2025 season, Underwood had 2,428 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns to his name. Underwood is a dual-threat QB and carried the football 88 times for almost 400 rushing yards and had 6 rushing touchdowns. 

While still a sophomore, the ceiling remains high for Michigan's 2024 Mr Football. HC Kyle Whittingham is backing Underwood to be the first-string quarterback for the 2026 college football season. 

“Coming out of spring, Bryce is obviously going to be the No. 1. Still got some work to do, but it’s healthy,” said Whittingham after the Spring game. 

Coach Whittingham expresses continued confidence in Bryce Underwood

Even though everyone has been critical of Bryce Underwood and his showing at the spring game, HC Kyle Whittingham believes that his QB1 has improved from last season. 

"He progressed all through spring. There are some things that may not be noticeable to just the general populace, but his footwork, his pocket presence, he’s improved in all areas," Whittingham said.

 The HC has presented a balanced image of Underwood, implying that the QB has had considerable improvement during training, but is yet to be the complete playcaller that the Wolverines require.

He further added, “Now he still has work to do. He knows that, we know that. But I think he's ahead of where he was, certainly, prior to or from last season, and we think he's got a big upside. There's still been a lot of confidence in him. There's no real different sentiment than what we had when we first got in here.”

There is still a long time between the spring game and football in the fall for Underwood to keep making strides before the Wolverines first game of the season.

No doubt, The Big House and its fans will be hoping to have their starting QB back in 2025 form. They can draw some hope from Whittingham's enduring confidence in the signal caller.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Surjo Roy