With the start of Michigan’s spring practice about a month away, veteran coach Chip Lindsey — in his first season as the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach — already has a plan mapped out, particularly when it comes to sorting through the upcoming quarterback competition.

Among the quarterbacks are Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, sophomore Jadyn Davis and early-enrollee freshman Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 recruit out of nearby Belleville High. Davis Warren, who started nine games last season, also is part of the quarterback room but is recovering from a torn knee ligament suffered in the bowl game.

“For us this spring, it’s how do we put these three quarterbacks in position,” Lindsey said this week on Michigan’s in-house podcast, “In the Trenches” with Jon Jansen. “We’ll just rotate them through. I want them all to get equal reps with the older receivers or the next group down and put them in situations (like third-down and red-zone offense). It’s pretty simple then. It’s a production business. Whatever you produce, that’s who you are. Whatever you put on film is who you are.”

Lindsey said that his message at the first offensive meeting of spring practice will focus on setting the table for finding out who are the playmakers and how they create explosive plays. It’s not so much about the plays, he said, but how they’re executed.

“It’s people going and winning one-on-one matchups and quarterbacks making contested throws, and being able to put the ball (in the right space) or contested catches by the wideouts,” Lindsey said. “I don’t think it’s anything magic. We’ve just got to get where we can do those things at a high level consistently. Some of that’s going to be you’re as good as your players. If your quarterbacks play well, everybody plays better. Those are the special quarterbacks, the ones that make everybody on the field better, take ownership even when it’s not their fault, sometimes.”

Michigan fans saw Keene in the season opener against Fresno State last season. He played for UCF at the start of his career and then Fresno State in 2023 and ’24 and has a 67.8% completion rate for his career, along with 8,245 yards, 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Last season, he threw for 2,892 yards and 18 touchdowns. Davis has limited college experience, after just one season at Michigan, and Underwood is a true freshman.

“We’re gonna coach them all the same,” Lindsey said. “Expectations are the same. And the way we go about it, you think about those three guys, they’re all a little different from where they are in their career, but they’re all similar in that they want to be really good, and they want to push each other and they want to compete.”

Underwood was able to join the team last December for bowl practices. Lindsey was hired shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, and while he did not coach the bowl game, he was present for practices and meetings and got a chance to get to know his future players.

“Bryce, getting to know him has been unbelievable,” Lindsey said. “The guy is as humble and driven as I’ve seen. People from the outside may not see that or know that because of the hype that goes with it. Jadyn Davis was a five-star recruit, as well. I think the people from outside don’t see them every day in the film room, grinding on their own, in meetings, taking notes.

“They really approach their craft seriously, and they want to be good and be the best they can be, and that’s what you want. You want a room full of guys that are eager. Davis Warren is the same way. He’s coming off an injury, but he’s the same way. Those guys want to be perfect, and I think that’s what’s exciting.”

While at North Carolina as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach the last few seasons, Lindsey worked with Drake Maye, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by New England. Lindsey described Maye and his football IQ and how quickly he adapted to what his new coach was expecting.

“He just took to it and went with it,” Lindsey said. “It’s really nice when you have a guy that can do that. You just say, ‘I’m going to call this play, and if it’s not right, get us into a good one.’ I expect our freshmen to be able to do that, as well. Those guys are so much more advanced now than when I was growing up. Their high school development is a lot better. They’ve been exposed to a lot more football. They understand. They get on Zoom calls before they even get here, start learning. They’re eager to learn; they want to soak it all up.”

Lindsey, who also helped develop Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham when he was at Auburn, said his offensive philosophy has changed through the years. When he first got into coaching at the high school level, his approach was to play fast and spread the offense. While coaching college football, he has learned that winning a championship means having a balanced offense, running the football and being physical.

“You run the football to set up throwing it down the field,” Lindsey said. “Ten years ago, I would’ve told you probably the opposite. I just think my experience now, that’s what I believe in. The last two years, the previous stop (at North Carolina), we‘ve had a 1,500-yard rusher. And then when we had Drake Maye, first-round pick, he threw for almost over 4,000 yards at the same time. Even at Southern Miss, I was working with Todd Monken there, who’s the (offensive coordinator) of the Ravens now, we had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season and a 4,000-yard passer. That’s probably the most explosive offense I’ve ever been a part of.”

“Those things are rare, but that’s who you gotta be if you’re gonna win the whole thing, and that’s been proven here before. I think the recipe is the same. We have to be able to run the football when we want to do it. You play on the road, you play late in the season, (and) weather is different; that’s important. We gotta be physical and we have to have that mindset. At the same time, I want to create explosive plays, and to do that, you gotta be able to throw it down the field, and that’s what we’re really focused on.”