When Michigan football took the field for its first offensive possession of the day against reigning national champion Indiana, it was Tommy Carr, not Bryce Underwood, leading the Wolverines out on the field.

Still, Underwood's doing what he can to help his team prepare for one of its biggest games of the season.

The benched former five-star recruit continued to play an integral role in Michigan's pre-game preparation before kickoff against the No. 6 Hoosiers.

Underwood was one of the Wolverines' captains for the pre-game coin toss and was helping lead the breakdown after Michigan got onto the field, with his teammates huddled around him.

Perhaps most notably, Underwood was shown embracing Carr shortly before the first start of the freshman's college career.

Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, struggled mightily in the first six games of his sophomore season, completing fewer than 60% of his passes with five touchdowns and six interceptions. At halftime of Michigan's Week 7 game against Penn State, and with the Wolverines trailing 3-0, Underwood was sidelined after completing only five of 11 passes for 43 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. With Carr in the game, Michigan rallied for a 21-18 victory.

After being publicly non-committal earlier in the week about his starting quarterback, first-year Wolverines head coach opted to go with Carr against Indiana.