Michigan has added another experienced arm to its quarterback room for the 2025 season. Jake Garcia, a well-traveled signal-caller who spent last year at East Carolina, has signed with the Wolverines as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, sources confirmed to CBS Sports/247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He visited Ann Arbor earlier this week before making his decision.
With no clear-cut starter heading into the fall, Garcia joins an open competition at quarterback. A former Top247 prospect in the 2021 class, he presumably becomes the fifth scholarship quarterback on the roster — and the only healthy one with prior starting experience.
The Wolverines needed veteran depth to support five-star freshman Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class. Meanwhile, 2024 starter Davis Warren continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene missed all of spring practice due to a shoulder injury.
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With less than 80 days until the 2025 season opener, Garcia’s Michigan arrival adds another layer of intrigue to a quarterback battle that remains unsettled.
What does Garcia’s arrival mean for Michigan?
Neither of the two healthy scholarship quarterbacks on the Michigan roster — Bryce Underwood nor redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis — have attempted a pass in college. While that is not to say either is incapable of handling the job, the Wolverines would certainly feel more comfortable entering the season with another signal-caller who has at least taken sufficient live reps. That is why the addition of Garcia makes sense.
Even with all the hype surrounding Underwood, who has drawn comparisons to Vince Young and Cam Newton, Michigan isn’t rushing to crown the five-star freshman as the Week 1 starter against New Mexico. But should he struggle out of the gate or suffer a setback, the Wolverines need a proven insurance policy behind him. Now, they have another one in Garcia.
Keene resumed throwing in April, and coach Sherrone Moore anticipated he would be back to full strength by summer. Keene is a bit of a journeyman himself, beginning his career at UCF (2021–22) before transferring to Fresno State (2023–24), where he started for two seasons. There’s also the added layer of familiarity with new Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey, who held the same roles at UCF in 2022 when Keene was the Knights’ backup.
Garcia lost the starting job at East Carolina last season after six weeks. Though he’s made just seven career starts, including one at Miami in 2022, his 649 career snaps rank second among Michigan quarterbacks, trailing only Keene.
|
Mikey Keene |
Sr. |
2,233 |
|
Jake Garcia |
Sr. |
649 |
|
Davis Warren |
Sr. |
532 |
|
Jadyn Davis |
RS Fr. |
1 |
|
Bryce Underwood |
Fr. |
0 |
Michigan doesn’t have the luxury of easing into the 2025 season with September road games at Oklahoma in Week 2 and at Nebraska in Week 4. So, solidifying the quarterback depth chart with experienced options is critical.
From Miami to Michigan: Garcia’s winding path
Garcia began his college career at Miami in 2021, ranked No. 116 overall and the No. 16 quarterback in his class out of Whittier (Calif.) Grayson. He suffered a season-ending injury in his college debut during Week 4 but returned to play in eight games with one start the following year in 2022. Garcia completed 61.2% of his passes for 950 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions with the Hurricanes before transferring out.
Garcia hoped to revitalize his career at Missouri in 2023 but never saw any action with the Tigers, ultimately deciding to transfer for a second time. He earned the starting job at East Carolina in 2024 but struggled in his six starts. Garcia completed 60.2% of his passes for 1,426 yards and eight touchdowns, but he also threw 12 interceptions.
Now, Garcia arrives at Michigan aiming to compete for a starting role and provide depth to a quarterback room that severely limited the Wolverines’ ceiling for success last season.
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