Michigan mum on Carr, Underwood as starting QB vs. No. 6 Indiana

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  Jake TrotterOct 19, 2026, 10:38 AM ET

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  Jake Trotter is a senior writer at ESPN. Trotter covers college football. He also writes about other college sports, including men's and women's basketball. Trotter resides in the Cleveland area with his wife and three kids and is a fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder. He covered the Cleveland Browns and NFL for ESPN for five years, moving back to college football in 2024. Previously, Trotter worked for the Middletown (Ohio) Journal, Austin American-Statesman and Oklahoman newspapers before joining ESPN in 2011. He's a 2004 graduate of Washington and Lee University. You can reach out to Trotter at jake.trotter@espn.com and follow him on X at @Jake_Trotter.

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham declined to say Monday whether Tommy Carr or Bryce Underwood will start at quarterback Saturday against No. 6 Indiana.

"We know exactly what we're doing and the plan going forward," Whittingham said. "We're not going to tip our hand to the opponent. But we have a good plan in place."

Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, replaced Underwood at halftime Saturday with the Wolverines trailing Penn State 3-0.

Carr led Michigan on three touchdown drives in the second half, including a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining that helped seal a 21-18 victory over the Nittany Lions. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and rushed for 36 yards.

The win gave Whittingham his first Big Ten victory at Michigan.

"Saw good stuff out of what Tommy did in that second half," Whittingham said Monday. "He's a real smooth guy, very efficient with his style."

Underwood struggled against Penn State, completing 5 of 11 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions. The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 SC Next 300, Underwood had started every game for the Wolverines since arriving on campus.

But under Whittingham and new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, Underwood has completed just 58% of his passes and has more turnovers (8) than total touchdowns (7). By beating Penn State, Michigan avoided its first 0-3 start in Big Ten play since 1967.