Kyle Whittingham Confirms Bryce Underwood's Starting Role After Michigan's Win Over Oklahoma

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham entered Saturday’s matchup against No. 11 Oklahoma under scrutiny after narrowly escaping defeat in Week 1 thanks to a controversial last-second Hail Mary.

On top of that, Whittingham’s comments about quarterback Bryce Underwood following that victory were widely interpreted as a warning about the sophomore’s starting job, putting his future as the Wolverines QB1 in question.

However, after Michigan’s 17-10 win over Oklahoma, Whittingham pushed back on that reading of his earlier comments and made clear that Underwood remains his quarterback.

“I never made those comments. I was asked if his job was ‘infinitely and etched in stone.’ Whose job is ever etched in stone?” Whittingham said. “So that was my answer. I never brought that up, or alluded to that.

“Are you guys, I mean, you guys all (have) guaranteed jobs? I don’t. And I don’t know anyone in football that does, so I don’t agree that I opened that can of worms because Bryce is our quarterback, and that’s where we are.”

Kyle Whittingham clears the air about the quarterback position comments made earlier in the week pic.twitter.com/Xih94MCacg

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Whittingham also said he addressed the outside reaction directly with Underwood during the week and praised the quarterback’s response.

“I said, ‘Hey, here’s what came out,’ and he said, ‘Cool, doesn’t bother me, Coach. I’m just going to go to work and do my thing,’” Whittingham said. “That’s exactly what you want your quarterback to say.”

Underwood was far from perfect against Oklahoma, completing 9 of 17 passes for 111 yards, but he leaned heavily on his legs to get the Wolverines over the hump. He carried the ball 18 times for a team-high 87 yards and scored on a 38-yard run during a 91-yard first-quarter touchdown drive.

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Whittingham also backed Underwood’s long-term trajectory as the Michigan starting quarterback, now that he’s two games into his second season with the program.

“Much better, and he’s got even more,” Whittingham said. “If we can see an upward trajectory with him throughout the year, we’re going to be real tough to beat.”

Michigan will remain home next week to face UTEP as it looks to improve to 3-0 on the season in its final non-conference game this year.

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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.