The Michigan Wolverines have named five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood their starting quarterback for the season opener against New Mexico, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz was first to report. Of course, this is no surprise to those who have paid attention to Michigan’s offseason. Underwood was a historic land for the […]
The Michigan Wolverines have named five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood their starting quarterback for the season opener against New Mexico, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz was first to report.
Of course, this is no surprise to those who have paid attention to Michigan’s offseason. Underwood was a historic land for the program as the No. 1 player in the 2025 class, but was told he had to earn the job at U-M. He has done just that as fall camp transitions into game week for the Wolverines.
“He’s grown every single day since he’s been on campus,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said last month at Big Ten Media Days. “He’s been with us since December, continues to do everything he can to be, one, the best teammate he could be. Two, to be best student he could be. And then, three, to be the best football player he could be and quarterback that he could be for our football team. He does everything the right way.
“He makes sure that he attacks everything the best way. And I literally just got off the phone with him calling me, asking me what time he’s got to be at the team meeting on Tuesday,” Moore continued. “So, he wants to make sure he’s on time and do everything right. He’s a great teammate, great kid, great young man. Jay and Beverly, his parents, have done an outstanding job of raising him, but I consider that for all our student-athletes at Michigan.”
Moore teased the media a few weeks back that he would name a starter ahead of the first game and inform the team beforehand. He also laid out the criteria it was going to take to win the job.
“Whoever the starting quarterback is, it’s to raise the level of the team,” Moore said. “For [Underwood], for [sophomore] Jadyn Davis, for [graduate] Jake Garcia, Mikey Keene — to make sure that they put themselves in position that they’re the best version of a quarterback they can be for Michigan football.
“And be leaders of the offense. Obviously, we always talk about the offense and team is led by the offensive line, but the quarterback has to be the captain of that room, that offense. Whoever that is, that’s who I want them to be.”
Big Ten Network was present at Michigan’s practice on Friday, and analyst Jake Butt saw all of the potential that Underwood brings to the table.
”He’s unbelievably gifted,” Butt said on BTN. “The ball jumps out of his hand with great velocity, but sometimes quarterbacks throw a hard ball and it’s hard to catch. He throws with great velocity, but it’s still a very catchable football.
“He can cover the entire field. There’s not a throw that Chip Lindsay’s gonna ask of him that he can’t make. But it’s really the mental side and just walking around… Max Bredesen pulled me aside and said, ‘How good is our quarterback right there? That guy doesn’t miss.’ So I think that says a lot, that he’s earned the belief of his teammates.
”But it’s not just Bryce. The wide receiver room should improve. The offensive line at this point should improve. Chip Lindsay, with his experience, should improve. So it’s all the other pieces around him that are going to unlock his potential.”
Underwood was 50-4 in his high school career at Belleville, 20 minutes down the road from Michigan Stadium. He was a wire-to-wire No. 1 overall prospect and is the highest-rated signee in program history. Now, he has a chance to write the first chapter and go wire-to-wire in his Michgian career as a starter.
Category: General Sports
