One more season, one more QB battle, Michigan does not seem to get enough of it. This year will mark the third time in four years the Wolverines will enter a season with such a situation: J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara battled for the role in 2022; Davis Warren, Alex Orji, and Jack Tuttle competed in 2024. This year around, The options at the disposal of new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey (who came from North Carolina) are Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, early-enrollee freshman Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit from 20 minutes east in Belleville, or sophomore Jadyn Davis.

The fourth quarterback in the mix is Warren, but he will not figure into the spring portion since he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in U-M’s 19-13 ReliaQuest bowl victory over Alabama. Obviously, the presumed favorite was Underwood, the 17-year-old with an eight-figure name, image, and likeness deal. Now, here is the twist. Head Coach Sherrone Moore revealed that Underwood was one of the players pushing the staff to make sure they added a proven college passer. Here comes Underwood’s top competitor for the job, graduate student and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene.

“You just want to make sure you have enough guys in the room who can push each other,” Moore explained of the decision. “A big thing when we recruited Bryce (he said) was ‘who’s going to push me, who’s going to make me better?’ All his life he’s been pushed to be made better, he doesn’t want to be given anything.” On the other hand, Keene is also “excited to push Bryce, really excited to try and go challenge for that starting spot.” So we absolutely agree when Moore says, “It’s open competition. Nobody’s promised to start but he’s gotta earn it.” But wait, is the much-hyped Underwood at an advantage for the job?

MGoBlog’s Seth Fisher dropped a bold prediction in a new episode on College Football Addiction on February 22. Fisher believes that Keene could possibly be favored over the 5-star QB. “They’re building the team around kind of him [Keene] right now,” he stated. “It’s weird. You look at the receivers that they’re picking up and how they’ve kind of shifted some of their thoughts. They’re going to do a little bit more go and get it and that’s really Mikey Keene’s game. So I’m guessing that he’s going to be favored going into the season.” While this may seem absurd to some fans, Michigan’s got a reason.

“The last thing you want to do with your five-star is ruin him by throwing him to the dogs right away,” Fisher noted. “My guess is probably in the middle of the season they’ll be able to re-evaluate where they’re at and where Bryce is at…I’m sure that they’re watching Bryce to see when he’s going to be ready, when he’s getting comfortable.”

“Underwood he’s a lot younger than people realize. He’s one of the youngest players of his class. I don’t think he’s going to turn 18 until the season starts, so we’re like he is right on the edge of how young you can be and still be playing in college,” Fisher further added. While Bryce Underwood has an impressive high school resume at Belleville with a 50-4 record capped off by two state championships, this decision could be a strategic one. Just like what we saw with their former star QB JJ McCarthy. 

Despite joining Michigan in 2021 as a highly-rated QB, McCarthy remained behind Cade McNamara in his freshman season. And while people doubted this decision, it created a win-win situation for the Wolverines. McNamara’s consistency and experience provided stability while McCarthy’s contributions in specific situations gave a dynamic element to the offense. An instance was when he completed a 31-yard pass in the regular season game against Ohio State. This situation allowed the freshman QB to get valuable experience without the pressure of being the starter. Meanwhile, Keene also has another advantage.

“His familiarity with Chip Lindsey was really huge. They had a connection previously, so that helped but just all the reviews that we got from him as a person, as a player — and it was huge that we played him this year,” Moore pointed out. Interestingly, he also claimed that Underwood and Keene have already started to connect, saying “it’s like they’ve known each other for a long time.” While this setup could be a win for Michigan, Sherrone Moore might have to deal with a major setback with his $12 million offer for Bryce Underwood. 

Sherrone Moore to face a mass transfer exodus?

Sherrone Moore faces potential challenges due to the House v NCAA settlement. The settlement will allow schools to allocate up to 22% of their athletic revenue — approximately $20 million annually — to student-athletes starting in 2025. The complication here is that Michigan got Bryce Underwood with a reported $12M NIL offer over four years. 

This significant commitment could impact the distribution of funds among other recruits including elite talents like OT Andrew Babalola and CB Shamari Earls. Balancing these financial obligations within the revenue-sharing cap may lead to player dissatisfaction and potential transfers if compensation expectations aren’t met. 

As of now, Sherrone Moore isn’t just navigating a QB battle. He’s staring down a roster management nightmare. If the locker room falls out over NIL payouts, Michigan’s national championship aspirations could shatter before they even take off.