Now a seasoned starting quarterback, Bryce Underwood is preparing for a much better season than last year’s in his second year at Michigan. But behind him, the fight for the backup spot remained open. After spring camp, it looks like the next man up is a special Michigan recruit, who has a unique tie to the program’s history.
“I would say Tommy Carr has been a pleasant surprise for us,” Kyle Whittingham told reporters yesterday. “He’s really progressed throughout spring and emerged as, at least for right now, the number two guy. There’ll be more competition going forward in the fall camp. But if we had to play tomorrow, he’d be the number two guy.”
Carr came to Michigan as the 23rd-ranked QB of the 2026 class. He is the grandson of legendary Michigan coach, Lloyd Carr, and is so many steps closer to making his grandfather proud. Even when spring camp was going on, Whittingham said that Carr was someone who “stands out” in the lineup.
“Tommy Carr is doing a nice job, I can tell you that,” the HC said in March. “Nothing’s been set in stone, obviously, but just based on what we’ve seen to this point, Tommy has looked like he’s got a good skill set.”
Check out no. 14 QB2 Tommy Carr.
— Michigan Metal
(@Metaleka_) April 1, 2026
Tommy Carr may be a freshman, but he has enough numbers to prove he can step in for Bryce Underwood when needed. He hauled in 5,247 yards in just two years as a starter in high school, with an impressive 69.5% completion rate. Michigan offered him when the team’s 2026 QB acquisition, Brady Smigiel, tore his ACL. The way Michigan’s QB room stands now also made it a little easier for Carr to establish the early dominance.
As of now, Michigan does not have any transfer QBs in the building. Colin Hurley did come from LSU, but according to insider Josh Henschke, he has left Michigan. The latter also said that the departure is unrelated to Carr emerging as the better QB among the backups. And on the other hand, Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi will join Michigan in the summer. And with Smigiel down with injury, Carr had a wide-open arena all to himself. And he made it count.
The journey ahead is difficult for Carr, but with Whittingham’s backing, there is a chance he can lock down the QB2 spot for himself.
Tommy Carr has yet to battle other Michigan QBs
With Underwood set to be the starter, Carr pretty much had no competition in the depth chart. But come summer, Fowler-Nicolosi will become a hurdle he has to brave. The experienced quarterback has started 28 games in his career and looked like the presumed QB2 when he transferred to Michigan. He comes to Ann Arbor with 6,938 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. Carr has to use everything he has to remain the QB2.
He has the genetics working out for him, as evident in Whittingham’s praise of him and his brother, Notre Dame QB CJ Carr. But he also enrolled early and has gotten more than enough reps in practice. By the time Fowler-Nicolosi is on campus, Tommy Carr will be more assimilated into the Michigan offense than the veteran. Moreover, the CSU transfer has an alarming total of 29 interceptions from his time there.
“I’m going to compete and learn as much as I can,” Carr said at the time of his commitment.
Can Tommy Carr live up to his family name and seal the backup spot for himself before the season opener? We’ll have to wait and watch. But until then, the young quarterback will continue impressing the staff with his rapidly growing skills.
