Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood's starting job at risk after poor performance

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was one of the biggest recruiting wins in program history. Five games into his second season, his starting job is at serious risk.

In a 20-14 loss against Minnesota, Underwood was, again, awful. The sophomore completed fewer than 50% of his passes for 101 yards and two interceptions without scoring a touchdown of any type. The loss sent the Wolverines to their first 0-2 start to Big Ten play since Brady Hoke's final season in 2014.

After the game, Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham was reluctant to give Underwood a vote of support. Instead, he confirmed that the staff at least considered making a quarterback change amidst the miserable start.

"Well, you always want to think about what gives you the best chance to win throughout the entire course of the game," Whittingham said. "That's being evaluated for everybody at every position. We just felt that, as the game was progressing, that Bryce gave us the best chance to win."

It's no secret that Whittingham has not been a big fan of Underwood's game since taking over. After an inconsistent opener against Western Michigan, only saved by a Hail Mary with one second left on the clock, Whittingham said that Underwood was the quarterback "right now," setting off an unexpected controversy.

In three games against Power Four competition, Underwood is completing just 55% of his passes, throwing for 162.7 yards per game and has thrown two touchdowns to three interceptions. Michigan is averaging 16.7 points in those games.

Are there better options?

Michigan invested heavily to bring Underwood to campus, flipping him from a longstanding commitment to LSU. Because of the major finances committed to Underwood, there aren't other sure things on the roster.

Senior Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was a multi-year starter at Colorado State, but the Texas native was a turnover machine for the Rams, including a nation-leading 16 picks in 2023. He was benched after three games for CSU last season, certainly bringing into question whether he's ready for major snaps.

The more exciting option is freshman Tommy Carr, the brother of Notre Dame's CJ Carr and grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. The four-star recruit has impressed since stepping on campus and brings a level of talent that could provide some consistency at the position.

At the same time, Underwood nearly leads the Wolverines in rushing, and there's no guarantee a new option could survive without a running game.

Underwood is an easy target because of his recruiting pedigree, but Michigan is a disaster across the board. The Wolverines rank 14th in the Big Ten in yards per carry and came into the weekend 114th in penalty yardage gap. The pass-catcher room is a two-man unit, as no one outside of JJ Buchanan or Andrew Marsh has more than five catches.

The defense continues to play well, but this team remains structurally flawed. Even with modestly better quarterback play, that won't change.

There's still a case for benching Underwood. After five games, his weaknesses are well known, and they're critical. The Wolverines have a bye week, so there's time to get the underclassman Carr up to speed.

But once you open Pandora's Box, there's no going back. If they're going to bench Underwood, they need to be sure.