Michigan has loaded up its quarterback room in a hurry, setting the stage for real competition around Bryce Underwood. First, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi arrived from Colorado State. Two days later, Colin Hurley signed, giving the Wolverines serious depth at the position. Underwood put together a solid freshman season, but he no longer has a guaranteed grip on the QB1 job.

Former Michigan QB Devin Gardner believes spring ball will sort it out, with any of the three capable of winning the job. The wildcard is Fowler-Nicolosi. If the 22-year-old doesn’t land the starting role, he may not stay.

“Nicolosi is closer to who he was without [Tory] Horton than he is to what he was with Horton when he had his best season,” Gardner said why Bradyden was neglected with the Rams. “Right? So you can think of it that way, or you can say the offense was focused on Horton. Right? which really aided in the decline and the inability. It’s hard to develop when you’re just centrally focused on one guy, right?”

“The [Michigan] offensive staff has familiarity with him, right?” Gardner added. “Bryce and Colin Hurley all have familiarity with Nicolosi. And that familiarity obviously told them, hey, this is a guy we can build with, a guy that we can try to test the waters. I believe that he’s a grown-up, so he should have some things that you don’t have to see, but he may have some of those bad habits because of the seasons he’s had in the last two years.

But I truly believe he’s not the guy. I think he’ll I think his whole process will be spring ball. He’ll get a chance to show what he’s got. If he doesn’t prove without a shadow of a doubt that he’s a true competitor in the competition. And I’m talking about he needs to be much better than both Colin Hurley and Bryce Underwood. If he can’t prove that during the spring, which I think is going to be very difficult, I think he’ll transfer out and play somewhere else after the spring.”

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi isn’t coming to Michigan without a résumé. He spent four seasons at Colorado State, starting 28 games and securing the full-time QB role in 2023. That year was easily his best. He threw 3,460 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He led the Mountain West with 288.3 yards of total offense per game. Things shifted in 2024. Head coach Jay Norvell leaned into a run-heavy system, which cut into Fowler-Nicolosi’s passing opportunities.

By 2025, Fowler-Nicolosi struggled a lot. He could complete just 44 of 82 passes for 488 yards, one touchdown, and two picks over three games. Narrow escapes and a loss to UTSA forced a change, and Jackson Brousseau took over. That move eventually pushed Fowler-Nicolosi toward the transfer portal and to Michigan. Now, experience is his biggest selling point. He has 28 career starts, compared to Bryce Underwood’s 13 and Colin Hurley’s zero.

Naturally, that makes Fowler-Nicolosi eager to compete for control of the offense. But there’s a reality check. Underwood is the face of the program. Despite an up-and-down freshman year (2,428 yards, 11 TDs, nine INTs), he has the physical tools to thrive under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, especially with a dedicated QB coach now in place. Fowler-Nicolosi brings a gunslinger mindset and proven production.

But also some baggage, with 29 career interceptions and a lost starting job. That’s why Michigan views him as high-end competition and a reliable primary backup rather than the future QB1. So while the quarterback picture is taking shape, Kyle Whittingham’s new approach is already shaking things up across the roster. And the most surprising move of all? Running back Taylor Tatum is being shifted to the secondary.

Grass is greener on the other side of the ball

Yeah, it’s happening, one way or another.

“Michigan football’s Taylor Tatum, who transferred in from Oklahoma and was the No. 1 RB in the Class of 2024, will begin his career in Ann Arbor in the safeties room,” Detroit Free Press reporter Tony Garcia posted on X on January 21. “He could move back to RB or see time there, but he will start at safety and go from there.”

At this point, Michigan is sincerely focusing on its secondary. Even if they had a very top-tier performance in the 2025 season, they need a transition. Tatum might actually fit the mold. At Longview High School in Texas, he was an all-rounder. He scored a school-record 53 rushing touchdowns, adding six more as a receiver, and piling up 1,463 rushing yards as a senior on his way to district MVP honors.

When he signed with the Sooners, he showed flashes as a true freshman in 2024. Tatum rushed 56 times for 278 yards and three touchdowns. But then health issues sidelined him, and his role never settled. At Michigan, the reasoning is pretty simple: Too much crowd. The running back room doesn’t have any breathing space. Jordan Marshall is back after an amazing year, and Bryson Kuzdzal decided to flip from the portal.

Lastly, Savion Hiter, the No. 1 RB in the 2026 class, is arriving. Micah Ka’apana, Donovan Johnson, and Jonathan Brown added more bodies. Safety, meanwhile, is a different story. And that’s why Taylor Tatum is transitioning there as of now.