Michigan
Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore shares when he plans to make starting QB decision
How did Bryce Underwood look in Michigan football spring game?
Takeaways from freshman five-star QB recruit Bryce Underwood’s performance in Wolverines spring game. Listen to the full episode of the “Hail Yes!” podcast and subscribe.
The Michigan football quarterback competition this past spring did not play out as expected.
The Wolverines brought in the nation’s No. 1 recruit, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from up the road in Belleville. The outside expectation was for him to take over the room and run away with the job. But he is 17 years old and this is not only the Big Ten, but an important season for Sherrone Moore and company to get back to the top tier of the sport.
The end of last year was a thrill. Mopping Northwestern by 44 points created the belief that turned into a 13-10 victory over Ohio State in Columbus the following week as underdogs by more than three touchdowns. Once that happened, nobody could limit the Wolverines, who played without all seven of their now NFL draft picks, yet still defeated Alabama 19-13 in the Reliaquest Bowl.
It was a sky-high finish to the year, but frankly, an 8-5 record is not what cuts it in Ann Arbor. They knew they could perhaps need a Plan B.
That’s why U-M not only brought in new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, but a veteran quarterback he was familiar with from their time at University Central Florida. Mikey Keene, who has more than 2,200 collegiate snaps under his belt and was a solid starter both at UCF and more recently Fresno State, was expected to push Underwood for the starting role.
Instead, those in the Michigan football program confirmed that he did not take a single snap in practice this spring as he continued to rehab from an undisclosed injury. With Davis Warren, last year’s starter, also on the mend from a torn ACL, that left just two healthy quarterbacks in Underwood and Jadyn Davis to take all of the snaps this spring.
“(We) handled it and he’s doing well now,” Moore said of Keene after the spring game April 19. “He’s throwing, he’s in a good place, and (we) felt like pushing it to end the spring that way. … we feel like he’s in a good place.”
“We’ll have Mikey, evaluate and see where Davis (Warren) is. But we’ll see what that situation looks like (if we want to add another quarterback into the room).”
Coaches and players are saying all the predictable lines about how the competition has progressed. Whenever somebody is asked about how Underwood has looked, more often than not, they reference the room as a whole, like when Derrick Moore told Big Ten Network after the spring game, “I got confidence in both them boys.”
But the public got to see more than enough April 19, when Underwood quarterbacked the Blue team and Davis the Maize team, and Underwood didn’t exactly thrive. In his first live snaps at Michigan Stadium in front of a crowd, Underwood completed 12 of 26 passes for 187 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. The score and nearly half the yards (88) came on a trick play on the final snap of the game.
Davis, meanwhile, didn’t have the same type of play to pad his stats. His final line was rough, completing six of 17 passes for 75 yards and two interceptions. Of those, one-third of them came on a free play jumpball to Donaven McCulley after the defense jumped offsides. That means he was 5-for-16 for 50 yards on plays where something negative could happen.
These are the reasons Keene was brought in, to be genuine competition for Underwood, not forced competition. Instead, it hasn’t played out that way, and it’s hard to not think the 17-year-old QB has the inside track to be the starter in the season opener against New Mexico.
But when will Moore make the decision?
“It usually carries into fall camp,” Moore told On3’s JD Pickell. “All the real good battles I’ve been a part of, you can say something in spring, but it changes, so we’re gonna take our time with the process of who that person is.
“It’s probably going to go into fall camp and then probably a week before the game, the first game, make a decision and make the announcement then.”
Keene is now throwing and is expected to be “full go” in June, so don’t count him out just yet.
While the expectation remains for the job to be Underwood’s, Moore recently told team color commentator Jon Jansen on an episode of Inside The Trenches there’s a lot more to playing quarterback than just making throws. He discussed their ability to dissect defenses pre-snap and make smart, sound decisions post-snap.
He talked about making sure the work ethic remains consistent, never wavering just because they’ve arrived at a place like Michigan. But perhaps most importantly, sometimes the biggest part of being the guy, is being the guy.
“They’ve made the throws, the reads. … but they got to become the leader of the team,” Moore said to Jansen about what he’s looking for. “We talk about the offensive line running the team, well somebody’s got to lead it.
“You’ll know at some point who that person is.”
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
ROTHBURY, Mich. — Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.
Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.
A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.
The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.
Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”
Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”
Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.
Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.
“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”
Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.
They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.
You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.
Sterling Stamping Plant is the largest in the world
Ed Daniels, vice president of North America injection and stamping operations, discusses the process of producing metal parts for Stellantis models.
Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.
Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.
Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.
Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.
Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.
The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.
The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.
“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.
Hiring expected
The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.
After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.
The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.
The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.
In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.
Robots check for quality
Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.
The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.
Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.
Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.
“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
-
Politics12 seconds agoTrump takes unusual step, lets bipartisan housing bill become law unsigned amid SAVE pressure campaign
-
Health7 minutes agoEating common dairy food every day may slow biological aging, study suggests
-
Sports10 minutes agoCM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam
-
Technology15 minutes agoWould you pay $8,000 for a robot to fold laundry?
-
Business22 minutes agoLegendary Television City may be be sold in further blow to Hollywood
-
Entertainment25 minutes ago‘Foreign Tongues’ is the funniest Rolling Stones album in decades
-
Lifestyle30 minutes agoHow to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Deidre Hall
-
Politics37 minutes agoTrump administration clears path for controversial Mojave Desert water pipeline
