Tate Forcier reveals his confidence in Michigan's Bryce Underwood

Tate Forcier reveals his confidence in Michigan's Bryce Underwood originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Michigan Wolverines will start true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood on Saturday against New Mexico, which will be the first time the Wolverines start a true freshman since Tate Forcier in 2009.

Underwood was a five-star consensus No. 1 overall high school football player in the country in the 2025 recruiting class, and his confidence is not lacking.

The young quarterback put the college football world on notice earlier this month when he said, "They've seen a lot of freshman, but I feel like nobody's seen a freshman like me." Now, the true freshman gets the chance to go out and prove it.

Forcier Believes in Underwood's Potential

There are lot of people that can give their opinions on Michigan's freshman, but the opinion of the last player to be in his position is one of the most valuable. The last true freshman to start at quarterback for Michigan, Forcier, recently revealed his confidence in the five-star prospect.

"He’s not going against grown men yet, but they’re becoming grown men. So, it’s just a big level difference in speed. But I think he’ll be able to handle it. He goes against it every day," Forcier said (h/t clickondetroit.com). "Michigan’s second, third, and fourth-tier guys can compete with just about everybody in the country. So, he gets to see that every day. I think he’ll be fine."

There are a lot of expectations around Underwood and his performance, and he's not shying away from it. But one thing you can't prepare for is the rush of emotions for that first game.

Bryce Underwood’s officially licensed Michigan Football jerseys are on sale at the M Den, on the eve of his college debut.

The freshmen quarterback is donating a percentage of jersey earnings back to youth program across Detroit. pic.twitter.com/S4SNib1aGU

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 29, 2025

Forcier took a second to reflect on what was going though his mind when walking out for the season opener as a true freshman.

"You feel it, but at the same time it’s almost just in the moment of when you’re first walking out because once the game starts, it’s all go. You don’t hear anything other than when maybe a touchdown is scored," Forcier said (h/t clickondetroit.com). "You feel the energy and all that, but once the game gets going, man, he’s going to just get into his own mode and he’s going to do his thing."

Forcier went on to compare Underwood to another former Michigan quarterback. Devin Gardner won three state championships in high school, and was a highly touted prospect as well.

Gardner was a top five quarterback prospect in the country by Scout.com and ESPNU 150. He committed to Michigan and competed for the starting role as a freshman. He didn't win the job, but he did play in four games that year.

"He actually reminds me a lot of Devin Gardner. When I watched Devin come out of high school, Devin was kind of the next-level athlete as well. Devin, Cam Newton, you could kind of—you don’t know where his career is really going to go," Forcier said (h/t clickondetroit.com). "You could just hope it goes up and hope everything goes right. He has a rubber band for an arm. He’s elusive, kind of like a cat, which is good to be as a quarterback.

"He’s big. I mean, it’s everything you want. He just needs to do everything right. As long as he does everything right, everything’s going to fall into place."

The Bryce Underwood Era has officially arrived for the Wolverines.

What does the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit have in store for his highly anticipated debut?
@JBooty88 & @devingardnerXCI break down all things Michigan on @TheBluePrintUM Podcast, available now:… pic.twitter.com/9CLcWrTYV3

— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) August 29, 2025

That may seem simple, but that's easier said than done. However, the true freshman does have all the physical talent, and he has plenty of weapons around him as well.

Forcier said former Michigan quarterback Chad Henne called him before his first start as a true freshman, and the he plans to do the same with Underwood. However, Forcier wouldn't reveal what was said in that conversation

"I plan on talking to him. So, I’m going to actually keep that between me and him. But I should be talking in the next day or so. When that does happen, I’m going to tell him kind of what Chad Henne told me," Forcier said (h/t clickondetroit.com). "It was really cool getting a call from Chad Thursday night before my first game against Western. So, I plan on doing the same thing with him and just kind of getting him ready for what he’s about to expect."

There's a lot of excitement around Underwood and what he'll accomplish at Michigan. The Wolverines were national champions just two years ago, and Underwood's goal is to get the maize and blue back to that stage. It all begins on Saturday against New Mexico.