While several position battles are during Michigan’s fall camp, none are drawing more attention than the quarterback battle. As of now, true freshman Bryce Underwood is widely expected to earn the starting job. However, he’ll face stiff competition—most notably from transfer QB Mikey Keene. Unlike Underwood, Keene brings a wealth of experience to Ann Arbor, with 35 career starts and 8,245 passing yards to go along with 65 touchdowns over 39 games—exactly the kind of veteran presence that Michigan lacked last season.
Speaking with the media over the weekend, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey acknowledged Underwood’s rare physical tools and maturity for a 17-year-old. Still, he made it clear: the battle with Keene—and others in the mis—is far from over. When it comes to Keene specifically, Lindsey says he’s still got a shot to win the starting job during fall camp.
Michigan OC Chip Lindsey on QB battle at Michigan:
▪️He’s impressed with Bryce Underwood’s football knowledge (along with the obvious physical tools). Calls him a “football junkie” – arrives early, leaves late.
▪️Says transfer QB Mikey Keene still has a shot to win the starting… pic.twitter.com/vkqJXlzVBf
— Christopher Breiler (@TWH_Chris) August 2, 2025
“Yeah, I think so. One thing he’s got is experience,” Lindsey said. “He did miss those opportunities [during spring], but in some ways, we got Jadyn [Davis] and Bryce [Underwood] a ton of reps because of it. Mikey has played in an offense that is similar from a passing game standpoint. So, yeah, I think that opportunity is still there for him. We’ll just see how it plays out.”
Although Keene was once viewed as a legitimate competitor for the QB1 spot early on, an injury that sidelined for the entirety of spring ball seemed to put that belief to bed—at least as far as the analysts are concerned. But Lindsey is right that experience can make up for a lot, and there’s no doubt it will play a factor as fall camp progresses through August.
While experience is great, it likely won’t be enough to hold off the elite true freshman from winning the starting job this fall. Not only did Underwood get valuable reps as an early enrollee (particularly during the spring), he’s got the type of physical tools that are rare at this level—size, speed, athleticism, and a big arm. But beyond the physical attributes, Lindsey says it’s Underwood’s football IQ that has been one of the most impressive things to witness.
“I think he’s very, very advanced for his age,” Lindsey said. “I think he had good high school coaches, I think—physically, he looks the part and all of that. But, really, I think the surprise for me—football knowledge is really high for a 17-year-old high school kid who just got here. Pretty impressive.”
Even for as impressive as he is, Lindsey says there’s still a learning curve for Underwood as he tries to learn the offense. The good news is that it doesn’t sound like putting in the work is a problem for Michigan’s prized QB.
“Now, learning our terminology, and why we call certain things certain things, there’s been some learning process there. But the guy is a football junkie. He’s here early and staying late, and loves to study football. And this is a good place to do that.”
Ultimately, Lindsey says one of the biggest deciding factors in this battle will be leadership—how to QBs guide and lead the offense.
“I think playing quarterback is such a leadership-type position. You’ve got to have the right mindset, you’ve got to have the right approach. The best guys that I’ve had, they’re not always just the loudest—the guys that holler and scream. They’re the guys who can motivate the other guys, and also learn how certain guys are motivated. Some guys don’t like to be called out in front of people. Some guys—you’re better off getting them off to the side. So I think the quarterback—all the guys we have, we’re lucky in this room. They’re smart, they’re great people, they’re great kids, and they want to win. But, in the heat of the battle, who handles those stressful situations the best?”
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