Chip Lindsey reveals his plan for Michigan quarterbacks this spring

“Will Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood start from day one?” That’s one of the biggest questions the fans have for new O.C. Chip Lindsey heading into spring ball, and some have predicted that’s how it will go. “Follow the money” was how one insider put it … at the same time, Underwood is going to have to earn it, and he has competition from Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and sophomore Jadyn Davis. 

All of them will get ample opportunity to prove themselves, Lindsey said on the In the Trenches podcast today with Jon Jansen, and the results will speak for themselves. 

“Starting out, that’s going to be our message in our first unit meeting — we’ve got to figure out who can and will make plays,” Lindsey said. “We have to do a good job of putting them in those situations. I think we’ve got a great plan to do that, because really, at the end of the day, when you go back and look at when J.J. [McCarthy] was here, or even before him … that’s what I want our guys to understand. It’s not really about the plays as much as how we execute the plays. 

“It’s people going and winning one on one matchups and quarterbacks making contested throws, and being able to put the ball [in the right spot] or contested catches by the wideouts. I don’t think it’s anything magic. We’ve just got to get where we can do those things at a high level consistently. Some of that’s going to be you’re as good as your players. If your quarterbacks play well, everybody plays better. Those are the special quarterbacks — the ones that make everybody on the field better, take ownership even when it’s not their fault sometimes. Taking the fall for it.”

He believes someone will emerge. The goal this spring is to figure out who can do it best and who the playmakers are at other positions, Lindsey continued.

“How do we create explosive plays, and … good football really still wins,” he said. “How do you create explosive plays, no negative plays, turnovers …  be good on third down, be good in the red zone. It’s not real complicated, though it’s harder than it sounds. How do we put them in position? 

“We’ll just rotate [the quarterbacks] through. I want them all to get equal reps with the older receivers or the next group down, try to get them those reps and put them in situations. It’s pretty simple then … it’s a production business. Whatever you produce, that’s who you are. Whatever you put on film, that’s who you are.”

And consistency is key, he added. The first step is to get them ready physically where their bodies are in position all the time to be accurate, Lindsey said, and to know where to go with the ball … where their issues are in protections, and everything else in the development process.

From there, he expects a lot of them, and that they’ll be able to audible on their own at times and understand what they’re seeing on the field.

“Even with Drake (Maye at North Carolina), when I got to him, he was really smart. He was already way ahead football IQ wise,” Lindsey said. “Of course, we were doing things somewhat a little differently and gave him some freedom to get us in different protections and all those things … he just took to it and went with it. It’s really nice when you have a guy that can do that. You just say, ‘I’m going to call this play, and if it’s not right, get us into a good one.’ He’s very capable …

“But I expect our freshmen to be able to do that, as well. Those guys are so much more advanced now than when I was growing up. Their high school developments a lot better. They’ve been exposed to a lot more football. They understand. They get on zoom calls before they even get here, start learning. They’re eager to learn … they want to soak it all up. 

“At Michigan, we ought to always have guys that are driven, that are smart, that can articulate; guys that can really lead the team and if we’re recruiting the right kinds of guys, those guys will take to it and do really well. That’s what I think all three — four when we get Davis [Warren] back, because he’s still recovering [from an injury] — they’ll all be able to do that.”

And he can’t wait to see it unfold in his first yar. 

“Quarterback competition,” Lindsey said, “makes every day pretty intense and a lot of fun.”

May the best man win.