After an 8-5 season that had its ups and downs, Michigan football lost 21 players to the portal and that’s not counting losing seniors and juniors like Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, and Kalel Mullings, among others. But head coach Sherrone Moore showed what he’s capable of on the recruiting trail by landing one of the top 2025 classes and bringing in capable veterans from the portal to fill positions of need.

One position fans will be keeping a very close eye on is the quarterbacks. In that stellar recruiting class, Moore signed the top-ranked player — quarterback Bryce Underwood. After having the 131st-ranked passing attack, Moore had to put some eggs in other baskets. Michigan went out and landed veteran Mikey Keene who will compete with Underwood for the starting job next season. Keene, who came from Fresno State, threw for almost 3,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.

CBS Sports compiled a list of transfers that will be under the spotlight, and Keen was one of those players.

“It’s veteran versus No. 1 overall recruit in Ann Arbor, where Keene is under the microscope as he’ll have to hold off Bryce Underwood to win out atop Michigan’s depth chart. Underwood signed one of the most expensive NIL deals in history to flip from LSU. That type of player doesn’t tend to sit long.

“Thus, Keene’s play this spring will set the tone. He enters spring as the favorite, but can he hold onto the job? His play is basically the bar Underwood must clear to get on the field, though Keene gets to determine how high that bar will be. 

“By the way, Michigan needs Keene to come in and make the offense better. The Wolverines threw for fewer passing yards per game than any Power Four team in the FBS last season. There’s a lot of pressure on Keene this offseason to make Michigan better while having to hold off Underwood.”

Keene knows new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey fairly well after playing under him at UCF. Keene played there two seasons — redshirting one — before transferring to Fresno State where he played the past two seasons. While most people want to see Underwood under center for Michigan next season, not all hope is lost if Keene wins the job. He knows the offense that Lindsey runs, he’s a veteran who knows how to read defenses, and at worst — an excellent backup to Underwood.

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National analyst predicts 5-star quarterback to Michigan football