Michigan’s spring practices will start on March 18th. New Wolverines offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has provided some intrigue for the quarterback competition.
As Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News reported, Lindsey plans to rotate three potential starters evenly, giving each signal caller a chance to seize the job. Three candidates will get a look: redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis, senior transfer Mikey Keene, and top-ranked freshman Bryce Underwood.
Last year’s starter, Davis Warren, is recovering from a knee injury suffered in the bowl game. It’s unfortunate for Warren, who might not get a chance to prove last year’s offensive anemia was a fluke.
As for Lindsey’s remaining options, they’re varied in size, style, experience, and potential. Let’s dig into their profiles and assess what each must do to win the gig.
A Case For (And Against) Each Candidate
Mikey Keene: Too Small?
Keene joined Michigan after two years each at UCF and Fresno State. He traveled to the Big House with the Bulldogs this past season and put on a respectable performance, minus a pair of interceptions. Aside from those two, he finished that game 22 of 36 for 235 yards and a touchdown.
He was thrown into the fire early, starting as a freshman for the Knights after Dillon Gabriel was injured. He acquitted himself well but lost the job the following year and transferred. His first season with Fresno State was arguably his best thus far, with career highs in yards (2,976) and touchdowns (24).
Keene’s experience and accuracy are his most prominent weapons in this battle, while his size and arm strength will set him back. At 5-foot-11, Keene has a Russell Wilsonian build. Nonetheless, he’s a career 67.8% passer averaging seven yards per attempt across four seasons. For reference, J.J. McCarthy had nearly the same completion percentage but threw for two more YPA in college. Keene likely won’t uncork much of a deep ball, but he can distribute effectively on short and intermediate throws.
His other secret weapon will be familiarity with Lindsey’s offense. They linked up during Keene’s sophomore year at UCF when Lindsey was brought in as the Knights’ new offensive coordinator. That connection almost certainly brought Keene to Ann Arbor and might give him a leg up on the competition in the early going.
All told it’s a perfectly whelming scouting report. Keene is a gamer and will have a chance to play some important Big Ten football, but it’s tough to match up with what Michigan has waiting in the wings.
Bryce Underwood: Too Young?
That’s the long and short of it. Even for his class, he’s young. Young won’t turn 18 until Michigan’s fall camp is in full swing. It might take time for him to put it all together in college, even with his recruiting pedigree.
What he lacks in actual years, Young makes up for in quarterback years. At Belleville, he compiled a 50-4 record across four seasons as a starter, including a state title in his sophomore year. He threw for over 11,000 yards and 150 touchdowns. As a junior, he won Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan.
The point is that Underwood has played a lot of football. There’s precedent – both historical and recent – for a freshman to break through and be a bona fide starter at this level. Rick Leach started as a first-year Wolverine in 1975, leading the team to an 8-2-2 record (don’t you miss ties?). McCarthy was too good to keep off the field in 2021 and played in 11 of 14 games behind Cade McNamara. Trevor Lawrence won Clemson a national title as a freshman in 2018. Just last year DJ Lagway led Florida to a somewhat miraculous 8-5 record against an absolutely brutal schedule.
Lawrence is the most analogous to Underwood as rankings go. Both were consensus first overall out of high school, with similar statures and strengths. Asking Underwood to match Lawrence’s 15-0 with a natty in Year One is ridiculous, but it’s worth knowing that the feat has been achieved. If Underwood leaves no doubt through spring and fall camp, he could give this team a chance to shoot for the stars.
Jadyn Davis: Just Right?
He’s the only quarterback listed here (aside from Warren) who was actually in Ann Arbor for the 2024 season. Davis’ window of opportunity is as the potential ‘goldilocks’ option between Keene’s loads of experience and Underwood’s limitless raw potential.
He showed up with a reputation as a quick-thinker in the pocket, a cerebral distributor who quickly ascended his high school depth chart due to his advanced feel for the game. He’s neither the biggest nor the smallest guy at 6-1, 205 lbs. He seems to have enough athleticism and mobility to keep plays alive with his legs. He’s an accurate passer with solid (if unspectacular) arm strength. Last year’s dismal passing attack could’ve clearly used a quarterback with these attributes.
So, what’s the catch? The answer is twofold. For one, he had an agreement with the coaching staff to take a redshirt year and acclimate to the college game. Given 2024’s offensive line woes, that’s certainly worthwhile. Young quarterbacks can have their worlds rocked by bad offensive lines, throwing their development off track and hindering their potential.
The bigger concern is likely one that came up during Davis’ recruitment: a hitch in his throwing motion that’s evident in his high school highlights. He dips the ball down and away rather than cocking to his shoulder. It doesn’t seem like much but that millisecond of extra time can be the difference between a good play and a bad one. The quarterback coaching situation might also have set him back. If both Lindsey and former coach Kirk Campbell have been futzing with Davis’ mechanics, it could set him back as he adjusts to the new motion.
On the other hand, if that hitch is fixed, Davis could emerge for a ‘McNamara’ year to bridge Michigan toward the future at the position.
Main Image: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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