Kyle Whittingham comments on Bryce Underwood’s job security ahead of Oklahoma game
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Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s job may be on the line this week against Oklahoma.
Underwood struggled again in Michigan’s narrow win over Western Michigan on Saturday, throwing for 170 yards and 1 touchdown on 22 attempts. He also had 2 costly turnovers that put the Wolverines in a position to lose to WMU before a last-second Hail Mary flipped the outcome.
That performance was a continuation of the status quo for Underwood, who now owns a career 126 passer efficiency rating across 14 games. For context, the average Big Ten passer rating since the start of 2025 is 144.3. In Week 1, Big Ten quarterbacks collectively posted a rating near 170 — mostly against FCS or G6 competition.
At his weekly press conference on Monday, Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham acknowledged that Underwood’s job security is not “infinite.”
“He’s our QB right now,” Whittingham said. “That’s not something that’s infinite. I mean, at some point, you’ve got to turn the corner and we’ve got to see improvement. As we do with a bunch of stuff, we’ve got to see improvement out of the coaches. It’s not just on Bryce. And it’s not just Bryce’s job that’s not absolutely set and comfy … You’ve got to perform week in and week out and become somebody that we feel like is playing at a level we can win with.
“What you’ve done lately is very important in football.”
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If Michigan does decide to make a QB change, its options are somewhat limited. True freshman quarterback Tommy Carr is believed to be Michigan’s backup QB. The Wolverines could also turn to a veteran in Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who started at Colorado State in 2023 and 2024.
Michigan will face an experienced and talented Oklahoma defense at the Big House in Week 2. The Sooners thumped UTEP 51-0 in Week 1, allowing the Miners to gain just 3.5 yards per play.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
