Michigan’s Quarterback Battle Heats Up: Who Will Emerge as the Unexpected Starter?

Granted, he was the top-ranked prospect in the 2025 recruiting class and has already graced the deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 26 with other college football coaches and legends, the first true freshman to do so. 

Bryce Underwood is the name on everyone’s lips right now—even before he’s taken a snap beyond high school turf. Here’s a 17-year-old Detroit prodigy, already hailed by analysts as a Heisman-level talent and proudly stamped as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class. The kid’s debut didn’t just stop there; he’s made history by being the first true freshman featured in the deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 26, rubbing shoulders with coaching legends and college iconoclasts alike. Still, Michigan’s head coach Sherrone Moore isn’t rushing to crown him the starting quarterback just yet. Why? Because standing in Bryce’s path is the seasoned Mikey Keene, a transfer from Fresno State who’s got 39 collegiate games and more than a few battle scars to prove it—18 TDs and 11 picks last season alone. Moore’s approach? Keep the competition wide open and let camp decide who leads the Wolverines when they kick off against the New Mexico Lobos at The Big House on August 30. The stakes are high, especially as Michigan looks to build on the momentum from that thrilling 2024 finish, highlighted by that iconic win over Ohio State and a shiny ReliaQuest Bowl victory against Alabama. It’s a meticulous chess match of experience and raw talent — and trust me, you don’t want to blink. LEARN MOREBut Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is refusing to let the hype surrounding the 17-year-old out of Detroit influence his decision on the starting quarterback for the 2025 season. Luckily for Moore, he still has a few weeks before that decision needs to be made, as Michigan opens their 2025 campaign against the New Mexico Lobos at “The Big House” on August 30, looking to carry over the momentum they had going for them at the tail end of the 2024 season, defeating Ohio State in “The Game” and also taking care of Kalen DaBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl, finishing with an 8-5 record in their first season following their national championship win. “Before anybody asks, it’s still an open competition,” Coach Moore told the press in an interview last week. “Bryce is not the starter right now, we will figure that out during camp.”After all, the competition that Underwood is facing is Mikey Keene, who transferred to the Wolverines from Fresno State, and has 39 collegiate games under his belt, throwing 18 touchdowns and 11 picks in 2024, and it’s still very likely that Moore could choose to go with the experienced Keene at first to act as a mentor for the younger Underwood. Even though he has yet to play a single snap of football past the high school level, Bryce Underwood is being treated as practically a Heisman candidate by football analysts.