Sherrone Moore shared confident words on incoming transfer QB Mikey Keene ahead of Reliaquest Bowl
The Michigan Wolverines face off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Years Eve at at 12pm ET in the Reliaquest Bowl. But just like any other Michigan press conference this season, the actual game at hand wasn’t always the focus.
Much of the early conversations in the joint press conference with both Sherrone Moore (head coach of Michigan) and Kalen DeBoer (head coach of Alabama) were dominated by more Michigan quarterback talk. This time it was concerning the new incoming transfer quarterback from Fresno State, Mikey Keene, who just committed to Michigan before Christmas.
As Michigan fans know all too well, the quarterback position was an absolute disaster for the Wolverines all season long. Even with Davis Warren’s slight improvements down the stretch Michigan ranked 105th in offensive pass success rate, 120th in offensive yards per play, and 123rd in EPA per drop back. There are only 134 FBS teams in college football and the Wolverines were near the rear in almost every offensive category.
Since the end of the regular season Michigan has landed five star incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, but they’ve also lost Jayden Denegal (to San Diego State) and Alex Orji to the Transfer Portal. Adding Mikey Keene gives the team a potential bridge quarterback to Bryce Underwood if he isn’t ready to go from day one.
When Sherrone Moore was asked about former Fresno State QB Mikey Keene early in the Reliaquest Bowl presser he shared confident words on his new transfer:
“[Mikey Keene] is an experienced guy that’s played a lot of football. We’re really excited about him. We played him the first game [of this season] so we know how tough he is. We know the type of throws he cane make. We heard great things, impeccable things, about him as a leader, and I’m really excited for him to push that room and give us an experienced guy that we feel can go win us games. That was the most important piece of it.”
Most Michigan Wolverines fans might not know that Mikey Keene has logged nearly 1300 drop backs throughout his four year college career, playing significant time for both Fresno State (2023 & 2024) and UCF (2021 & 2022). Keene certainly brings experience.
He redshirted the 2022 season after playing well in four games for UCF to end the season, but transferred to Fresno State shortly thereafter, immediately after proving he could make all the throws, impressing with his decision-making and consistent execution.
It’s not a sure thing that Mikey Keene will start for Michigan in 2025, but it certainly looks like he would be a massive upgrade over anything the Wolverines rolled out this past season.
Sherrone Moore was asked about his message to incoming transfers (especially at quarterback) and he made sure to emphasize that Keene would have to earn his starting spot. But Keene also has some connections that might give him an edge:
“It’s an open competition. Nobody’s promised a starting spot. Everybody’s got to earn it. He really understands that. Even with the guys we’ve brought in. So, he’s really excited to push the whole room. And he’s a guy that’s played a lot of football, has a lot of experience, and made plays at all different levels…His familiarity with Chip Lindsey (new Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) was really huge. They had a connection previously, so that helped. Just all the reviews that we got [on] him as a person, as a player, and then it was huge that we played him this year. We saw him live in action. We saw him make some really good throws and do some really dynamic things. We’re really ready for him to get going in this program.”
Chip Lindsey, Michigan’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, worked in the same exact role for UCF back in 2022 when Mikey Keene dominated down the stretch to end that season. His understanding of Lindsey’s system and “impeccable” reviews as a person and a leader should give him the leg up early in the competition to start for Michigan in 2025.
It might be early, and Michigan still has one game yet to play against the Alabama Crimson Tide, but it’s great to know the Wolverines’ future quarterback situation is already looking like it might be in great hands between Mikey Keene and five star freshman Bryce Underwood.
We’ll be back with more Michigan Wolverines coverage here at A to Z Sports here soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you would like to watch the full Reliaquest joint press conference with Sherrone Moore and Kalen DeBoer you can do so in the video below!
