What looked like a gut punch for LSU on the recruiting trail may be aging in a very different light.
Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, spent nearly a year committed to LSU before backing off that pledge and choosing Michigan just weeks before the Early Signing Period. That flip landed hard in Baton Rouge, especially with Michigan assembling a massive NIL package reportedly worth around $12 million. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his wife, Jolin, were among the people credited with helping provide the financial backing that made the move possible.
At the time, it felt like a brutal loss for LSU and then-coach Brian Kelly.
Now, though, Underwood’s path at Michigan is drawing fresh scrutiny. Less than two years later, he’s dealing with inconsistent play and a rough start to his sophomore season. The pressure ramped up again this week when Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Underwood is the Wolverines’ starting quarterback “right now,” while also making clear the job is not locked in.
Underwood only added to the attention with his reaction when reporters asked him about Whittingham’s comments.
From LSU’s side, there’s another layer to all of this. If Underwood had stayed in the fold and become the quarterback of the future, maybe Kelly hangs on longer in Baton Rouge. Instead, Underwood flipped, Kelly was eventually fired during the 2025 season, and LSU’s coaching search ended with Lane Kiffin taking over.
That decision has LSU sitting in a much better spot now, with Kiffin guiding a team that looks like a national championship contender. Meanwhile, Underwood’s future at Michigan is suddenly up for debate.
There’s still time for him to sort it out.
But when you look back at how painful that flip seemed for LSU, the question is hard to ignore: did the Tigers actually dodge a bullet?
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The praise carried a little extra weight because Kelly was also pointing back to Blake Baker, the defensive coordinator he hired. LSU held Clemson to 145 total yards while piling up 309 on the ground, the kind of balanced showing that gives a new staff a fast way to win over a skeptical fan base and, at least for one night, made Kellys old blueprint look pretty sound. [Read more 🡒]