Notre Dame football quarterback CJ Carr isn’t the only member of his family running a Power 4 offense anymore. Michigan is sticking with younger brother Tommy Carr as its starter over Bryce Underwood, giving Lloyd Carr’s grandsons one of the more unusual quarterback stories in college football.
With CJ Carr starting for Notre Dame and Tommy Carr starting for the Wolverines, it’s quite the family affair for the grandkids of ex-Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr.
On3's Pete Nakos reported Wednesday that Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham will stick with Carr at quarterback for this Saturday's game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Carr is starting over Bryce Underwood, who has struggled badly this season, throwing for 924 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions. Underwood was once considered one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in his recruiting class. However, his effectiveness on the ground has also diminished this year. He has 222 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 3.6 yards per carry.
NEW: Michigan is expected to start QB Tommy Carr against Rutgers on Saturday, @PeteNakos reports. https://t.co/Gu8Kuc2AT9 pic.twitter.com/w6PYn3uiDL
— On3 (@On3) October 28, 2026
Tommy Carr remains Michigan starting quarterback as Notre Dame football star CJ Carr watches from afar
Carr’s first career start came last week against the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers. He and his teammates took Curt Cignetti’s squad to overtime before losing 13-6, though it’s up for debate how much of that was because Carr led the offense, or because Willingham’s group still has a very good defense even if the offense is a total mess.
In the overtime loss to the Hoosiers, Carr got the whole game, though Underwood came in for packaged plays. Carr was 20-of-32 passing for 167 yards and one interception. Underwood did not throw a pass. Carr also fumbled a pitch that looked like something you would expect from a true freshman.
Going into the Indiana game, former Alabama head coach and broadcaster Nick Saban said the competition between Carr and Underwood would ultimately benefit both sides. He thought someone would come out of the fire with a little more pep in their step to jumpstart the struggling offense.
“I think competition is good,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think that complacency is actually bad, and when somebody thinks they’re not responsible [to] perform well, that’s probably not good for you as an individual, and it’s probably not good for your teammates who are looking at you to play a little better and do a little more for your team.”
During Michigan’s Week 7 game against Penn State, head coach Kyle Whittingham made a mid-game quarterback change. Underwood did not play in the second half, while Carr took over and helped lead the Wolverines to victory. Carr completed 5-of-7 passes for 47 yards in the air and rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown, which proved to be the game-winner.
While the Carr brothers' story would have been much more interesting back in the day, when Notre Dame and Michigan played each other every year, it’s still interesting to see two brothers starting for Power 4 programs at the same time.
During Notre Dame’s bye week, CJ went and watched his brother get his first career start. This week, the Fighting Irish and the Wolverines will play during the same game window. At least the two quarterbacks can trade war stories after their games.
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