Kyle Whittingham’s stance on Bryce Underwood’s status as Michigan QB1 comes with caveat

Whatever Kyle Whittingham wanted to see out of Bryce Underwood, it wasn’t what happened Saturday.

Underwood and Whittingham’s Wolverines were the beneficiaries of what could end up being the biggest early controversy of the college season after the second-year quarterback’s second Hail Mary attempt connected for a walk-off 13-12 win against reigning Mid-Atlantic Conference champion Western Michigan.

Though the win counts the same in the standings, Underwood struggled for most of the game and his performance left much to be desired for a team with national championship aspirations. The head coach said Tuesday that he’s not married to keeping Underwood in the starting lineup if those struggles continue when Michigan starts playing tougher competition.

“He’s our QB right now,” Whittingham said. “It’s not something that’s infinite. At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner, and we’ve got to see improvement, as we’ve got to 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 is not absolutely set in concrete. Nobody’s is.”

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham watches against Western Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. AP Photo/Paul Sancya

After opening the season with a touchdown drive, Michigan failed to score again until the clock read 0 — for the second time. Underwood threw up a Hail Mary that bounced out of bounds seemingly as time expired. But Big Ten officials added one second back on the clock, and Underwood’s second 47-yard pass connected for a game-winning touchdown.

It was a highlight in an otherwise dreary game for Underwood. The sophomore completed 12 of his 22 pass attempts and threw an interception. Michigan failed to record a first down on five of its 10 possessions — and another only saw a first down because of a penalty.

Though his numbers were in line with some of his not-so-great outings against Big Ten opponents during his freshman season, it was a far cry from the improvements he seemed to have made during training camp.

“It’s unfortunate, disappointing, because we see him every day and he’s been very sharp all through fall camp,” Whittingham said. “So, I don’t have a great explanation right now, other than we hope to see improvement between Game 1 and Game 2 in the live action. There’s nobody who wants to be great more so than Bryce.”

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood celebrates a 13-12 win over Western Michigan on a Hail Mary at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Game 2 for Underwood will come this Saturday against No. 10 Oklahoma, which crushed him in their meeting last season. The Sooners held the then-freshman to 9-of-24 completion, and he didn’t throw a touchdown pass in Michigan’s 24-13 Week 2 loss.

If Whittingham eventually decide to move on from Underwood, next up for the Wolverines is likely freshman backup Tommy Carr, the brother of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr and grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.