Michigan QB battle: Sherrone Moore lays out expectations for starter

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore didn’t name a starting quarterback Tuesday, but he laid out the expectations for the winner of the battle. Bryce Underwood, Mikey Keene, Jadyn Davis and Jake Garcia were all mentioned by name during Moore’s presser.

“Whoever the starting quarterback is, is to raise the level of the team, you know, and for (Bryce), for Jadyn Davis, for Jake Garcia, Mikey Keene, to make sure that they put themselves in position to make that they’re the best quarterback version, or best version of what they can be for Michigan football and be leaders of the offense,” Moore said. “Obviously, we’ve always talked about the offense is led by and the team is led by the offensive line.

“But the quarterback has to be the captain that room, that offense. So, you know, whoever that is that’s what I want them to be.”

Based on predictions, intel and the sort, Underwood is the leader in the clubhouse in an otherwise tight QB competition. The five-star freshman was a much hyped prospect coming into Ann Arbor.

 ”He’s very confident,” left guard Giovanni El-Hadi said of Underwood. “He has that natural leadership. He’s loud, he calls something he’s confident in, if it’s right or wrong, and that’s all I like about him. You gotta be confident to be a quarterback. Not cocky, but confident, and I really love that about him.

“He’s 17 years old [and] he’s playing with 21, 22, maybe 25-year-olds. God knows how old people are nowadays, but he just has that ability to lead us and the ability to talk through stuff just like all the other quarterbacks. They, have that ability to talk through things in the right way. And for him to do that at a young age is so impressive.”

Michigan has a crowded room that features a veterans such as Keene, who’s played for UCF and Fresno State in the past. Garcia previously played for Miami and East Carolina in his college career.

The competition has no end in sight, sort of. Moore alluded to naming Michigan’s starter on game week, presumably before the season opener.

“Quarterbacks have been great. Much-improved, playing at a really good level,” Moore said. “You know, we’ll see where it goes and how far we’ll go to that … As far as naming a quarterback? I know you guys want to know who the quarterback is. I’ll tell you on game week, before any questions come about that.”