Tag: Mikey Keene

2025 Season Countdown: #27 Mikey Keene

Name: Mikey Keene
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Chandler (AZ) Chandler
Position: Quarterback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: Keene was the starting quarterback at Fresno State. He completed 277/393 passes (70.5%) for 2,892 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
TTB Rating: N/A

Sherrone Moore is like Galactus, and floating through space and time, he decided to send out the Silver Surfer – in this case, Chip Lindsey – to scout resources to consume to make himself better. The Silver Surfer zeroed in on Mikey Keene from Fresno State, and here we are:

With one of the most highly touted recruits in history, Galactus – I mean, Sherrone Moore – was never going to be able to bring in a high-profile player who wanted to play right now because Bryce Underwood is waiting in the wings to play, probably sooner rather than later. So Moore and Lindsey had to look a rung down for a guy who might want a step up in competition but had already sort of maxed himself out in a lower conference.

Keene has been a starter at two different schools, UCF and Fresno State. Overall, he has amassed 8245 passing yards, 65 passing touchdowns, and 28 interceptions, while completing 67.8% of his passes. He’s an accurate thrower who’s obviously limited when it comes to size, strength, and athleticism. But he’s a veteran who has played 39 games and could be a perfect mentor for Underwood, pushing him and offering advice while also understanding he stepped into a situation where he’s not going to be expected to be the savior of a program.

I expect Underwood to be the starting quarterback by the end of the season, if not the beginning. However, backup quarterbacks play an important role. It’s rare to see a quarterback go through a season completely unscathed, if only for a half of a game or a game here or there. Keene transferred to Michigan over the winter but was unable to participate in spring practices because of an injury. However, he was available for meetings and re-learning some of the things that Lindsey taught him back when they were together at UCF. As long as Keene stays healthy for the year, he should provide a nice safety net for the team.

Prediction: Backup quarterback

2025 Spring Football Preview: Quarterback

RETURNING PLAYERS: Davis Warren (RS Sr.), Jadyn Davis (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Mikey Keene (RS Sr.), Bryce Underwood (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Anthony Arnou (transfer portal), Jayden Denegal (transfer to San Diego State), Alex Orji (transfer to UNLV), Jack Tuttle (graduation/retirement)

OUTLOOK: Davis Warren started for the majority of the season in 2024, but to say it was a disappointing campaign would be an understatement. There were times when Warren was a turnover machine, and even though he cleaned things up a little bit down the stretch, there were some glaringly bad plays against Ohio State in the regular season finale. He completed 64.1% of his passes but for just 5.7 yards per attempt, 7 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on the season. Still, he was at the helm for the upset win over the Buckeyes and started the ReliaQuest Bowl win against Alabama. Unfortunately, his torn ACL suffered in the bowl game will keep him out of spring participation.

That leaves Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and true freshman early enrollee Bryce Underwood as the likely starters for each side in the spring game. Keene is a fifth year senior who has starting experience at UCF and Fresno State, including time spent at UCF under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. Altogether, Keene has completed 67.8% of his career passes for 8,245 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. Last year he was at 70.5% completions for 2,892 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He’s a functional game manager who can handle short to intermediate throws, but he has a relatively weak arm and isn’t much of a runner; he might be able to have a 2021 Cade McNamara-like performance if the offensive line and running game can hold up.

The phenom and wild card is Bryce Underwood. Underwood was an LSU commit for a long time before flipping to Michigan late in the early signing period. Much has been made of the NIL deal he received, but regardless, he’s ranked as the #1 overall player in the country for 2025. He completed 71.8% of his passes as a senior, throwing for 2,509 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions; he also ran for more than 600 yards and scored 6 rushing touchdowns. At somewhere in the neighborhood of 6’3″ and 215 pounds, he has the arm strength and speed to be a dynamic player. There are always growing pains for freshmen, so the biggest question mark is how quickly he downloads the playbook.

Just like in Any Given Sunday, Keene is the savvy veteran (Dennis Quaid) and Underwood is the ultra-talented young buck (Jamie Foxx). Michigan has two intriguing options going into spring ball, and it will be interesting to see who looks more ready to run the offense once April comes.

Mikey Keene, Wolverine

Fresno State transfer quarterback Mikey Keene has committed to Michigan. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Keene is a 5’11”, 200-pounder who spent two years at UCF before transferring to Fresno for the 2023-2024 seasons. When he was at UCF with Gus Malzahn as head coach, new Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey was his offensive coordinator for one season, a 2022 campaign that saw Keene complete 60/83 passes (72.3%) for 647 yards, 7.8 yards/attempt, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

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