Michigan names freshman Tommy Carr its starter for the 'foreseeable future'

Tommy Carr is Michigan's quarterback. Coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday that the freshman will start Saturday against Michigan State and for the "foreseeable future," ending two weeks of noncommittal answers.

Carr earned it at Rutgers. In his second straight start he threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and ran for 54 yards and two more scores in a 28-21 win, per ESPN. He has completed 72.1% of his passes for 503 yards in four games. Whittingham noted that if you extended Carr's Rutgers numbers over a full season, he would be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, according to The Athletic's Austin Meek.

The recruit who lost the job

The bigger story is who isn't starting. Bryce Underwood, a sophomore from Detroit, was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class. He started all of last season, struggled this fall and was benched when Carr replaced him in an Oct. 17 win over Penn State.

Carr was a three-star recruit and the No. 24 pocket passer in the 2026 class. Michigan is 1-1 in his two starts, per Yahoo Sports, and Whittingham has now picked the three-star over the former No. 1 recruit in public.

A Carr family Saturday

Carr is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and the younger brother of Notre Dame starter CJ Carr. Both brothers will start this weekend: Tommy against Michigan State, and CJ against No. 1 Miami.

Whittingham also talked about the "bad blood" in the rivalry at his Monday press conference, per TheWolverine.

What to watch: Carr's first start against Michigan State on Saturday, and whether Underwood sees the field at all.