Underwood remains Michigan starter as Whittingham warns role is not secure
Bryce Underwood said he had not seen Kyle Whittingham’s comments questioning the permanence of his starting role after Michigan’s narrow win over Western Michigan.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood remains the starter for now, but coach Kyle Whittingham has warned that the position is not permanently secure after a difficult season opener.
Whittingham said Underwood was Michigan’s quarterback “right now” and that improvement was required, adding that no player’s job was “set in concrete”. Underwood said the comments came as news to him when asked about them ahead of the Wolverines’ game against No. 11 Oklahoma.
“There was comments about that? ... I didn’t see that,” Underwood said. He added that he had not used social media since fall camp.
Michigan defeated Western Michigan 13–12, with Underwood completing 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also lost a fumble, while CBS Sports reported that his performance revived questions about his place on the depth chart.
Underwood described his display as “not the best” and said he had plenty to work on before facing Oklahoma. He said he remained confident and planned to “play my game”.
The matchup presents a further test after Underwood completed nine of 24 passes for 142 yards in Michigan’s 24–13 loss to Oklahoma last season.
