Ever since Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy vowed to spend up to $3 million on a transfer portal quarterback, Michigan football fans have expected greatness to come to Ann Arbor as something of a stopgap. But a transcendent quarterback never quite emerged. on the transfer market, and Michigan managed to secure No. 1 player in the country, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood — thus perhaps changing the strategy.
Early in the transfer portal, it appeared as if Michigan was targeting former USC QB Miller Moss, but he ended up committing to Louisville. Then Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. appeared to be Ann Arbor-bound, but he opted instead for Wisconsin. Then it came down to Baylor QB Dequan Finn, a Detroit native who started at Toledo, and Fresno State signal-caller Mikey Keene.
Though fans appeared to favor Finn, it appears that the Wolverines favored Keene, with the former UCF and Fresno State quarterback committing to the maize and blue.
BREAKING: Fresno State transfer QB Mikey Keene has Committed to Michigan, he tells @on3sports
The 5’11 195 QB has totaled 8,245 yards & 65 TDs in his college career thus far
1 year of eligibility remaining https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/ERAoUTXLey
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 23, 2024
Hailing from Chandler (Ariz.) and coming out of the 2021 class, Keene originally committed to UCF, where he was under the tutelage of Chip Lindsey, who was then the Knights’ offensive coordinator and is the new hire for the Wolverines at the same position.
Keene spent two years in Orlando before transferring to Fresno State, where he was a two-year starter. He’s an accurate QB, having completed 67.8% of his passes over a four-year period, and had his best season two years ago, when he passed for just shy of 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
With Keene as Michigan’s choice, it could indicate a willingness to let Underwood take over sooner than later. While he is a very good quarterback — despite overall fan dissension — he’s not a transcendent figure. Perhaps it will be more of a Cade McNamara-J.J. McCarthy type of rotation, but given Underwood’s talent, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take over the starting role by midseason with Keene as the choice.
Here is how Keene ranks in the transfer portal rankings:
| * | Ovr | Pos | |
| 247Sports | 3 | 398 | 46 |
| On3 | 3 | 117 | 17 |
It should be noted that against Michigan in Week 1, Keene went 22-for-36 for 235 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions — the final interception being a pick-six in the red zone by Will Johnson that sealed the game for the Wolverines.
Update: this article has been updated to reflect Keene as committed.