The face of Michigan football will likely not play this weekend when the Wolverines scrimmage at Michigan Stadium.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood is not expected to suit up for the Maize vs. Blue spring game on Saturday, April 18 (2 p.m., Big Ten Network) a person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly.
Coach Kyle Whittingham said earlier this month that a number of U-M’s proven commodities would not suit up, but it was not entirely clear who he was talking about.
“The main thrust is, [it’s] a great chance for us to get a good in depth, concentrated look at the 2s and 3s,” first-year coach Whittingham said Thursday, April 9 at Schembechler Hall. “There’s going to be a lot of 1s that don’t participate. We’re not going to put a guy in there that we know what he can do, and he’s where he needs to be, and he’s played hundreds of snaps here − there’s no reason for that.
“It’s a chance to showcase the 2s and 3s in as close to a game environment as we can structure.”
Underwood finished his true freshman campaign in 2025 with a 60.3% completion rate, 2,428 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions and was the unquestioned starter coming into spring ball. It makes sense for U-M to use this opportunity as a way to get more clarity on the depth chart to a certain extent.
However, quarterbacks who participate in the spring game have historically worn a red or white jersey to signify “no contact,” meaning there’s little to no risk for an injury.
Michigan is also operating a new scheme under offensive coordinator Jason Beck, so this could’ve been seen as an opportunity to get the rising sophomore some work in a live environment, but U-M has opted to work on its depth at the position.
There’s no proven experience behind Underwood at this moment after LSU transfer Colin Hurley left the program after just a few months in Ann Arbor, leaving redshirt freshman Chase Herbstreit and true freshman Tommy Carr as the only signal callers behind Underwood.
“I would say Tommy Carr has been a pleasant surprise for us,” Whittingham said earlier this month. “He’s really progressed throughout spring and emerged as, at least for right now, the No. 2 guy. Now, there’ll be more competition going forward in fall camp arrives.
“But if we had to play tomorrow, he’d be the No. 2 guy.”
Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is still expected to arrive this summer, a program spokesman earlier confirmed to the Free Press, but for now it will be two signal callers with intriguing lineage who lead the offenses on Saturday. Carr, the grandson of national championship coach Lloyd Carr, threw for 2,431 yards and 31 touchdowns with just three interceptions in the regular season for Saline High School last fall.
Herbstreit, meanwhile, is the son of former Ohio State quarterback and ESPN College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit. He was on the team in 2025 but redshirted after he did not take a snap.
Underwood is clearly the guy and it appears Michigan’s staff feels confident in what it has seen from him behind the scenes.
There will be a number of other key players who sit out − Jordan Marshall is a distinct possibility, as is Andrew Marsh and other projected starters on both sides of the ball − with Whittingham saying the number would be somewhere between 12 and 18 total.
While many were expected, the Underwood decision is perhaps the most noteworthy entering Michigan’s final practice of the spring session.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan QB Bryce Underwood not expected to play in spring game
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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