Why Michigan football fans should be optimistic about QB Mikey Keene

Whenever you go out and sign the highest-ranked player, especially if it’s a quarterback, fans are going to want to see him play immediately. That’s the case with Michigan and five-star phenom Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines convinced Underwood to leave LSU, return home and stay near Ann Arbor for the next three to four years.

However, Michigan doesn’t want to be in the same situation it found itself in this year without much quarterback depth. The Wolverines rotated between three quarterbacks this season before turning the starting job back over to former backup Davis Warren.

Michigan currently still has former highly touted quarterback Jadyn Davis on its roster, but the Wolverines also went out and acquired veteran Mikey Keene from the transfer portal. Keene knows new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey quite well, having played under him at UCF. Keene played two seasons there, including one as a redshirt, before transferring to Fresno State, where he played the last two seasons.

But Keene wasn’t the big name Michigan fans wanted. Wolverine fans wanted more excitement like USC’s Miller Moss, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza or Washington State’s John Mateer. With the signing of Keene, Michigan fans believe Underwood will start day one for the maize and blue, but there is reason for optimism regarding Keene.

At worst, Keene is a great backup quarterback, but at best, Michigan uses Keene and Underwood, as it did with Cade McNamara and JJ McCarthy in 2021. Underwood plays, but Keene also sees the field and plays turnover-free football and helps lead the Wolverines to victory with his experience.

Keene has shown he can blow the ball out. He has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. He has thrown 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions and completed 67.8% of his passes in his career. Keene is precise and makes mostly good decisions.

But to elaborate: According to Pro Football Focus, Keene has been better than several more prominent quarterbacks in each of the last two years.

This season, Keene had a PFF grade of 75.9, which was 64th in the country. However, it performed better than the following:

Missouri QB Brady Cook (75.7)

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles (73.8)

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers (73.3)

Texas QB Quinn Ewers (72.0)

Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman (71.8)

Among other things..

Then in 2023, Keene graduated with a grade of 78.3, which was 46th in the country. It performed better than the following:

Kansas State QB Will Howard (78.1)

Tennessee QB Joe Milton (77.9)

Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson (77.6)

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler (77.6)

Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa (77.6)

Ohio State QB Kyle McCord (76.4)

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (64.4)

It’s very possible that Underwood takes the job on day one because he’s just that talented. But Michigan clearly did its homework and liked what Keene brings to the table. His height might be a little concerning at 5-foot-10, but Keene is talented and has the arm strength to make an impact in Ann Arbor. As mentioned above, the worst-case scenario is that Michigan has secured a valuable replacement, but don’t count on Keene competing for some playing time in 2025.

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