Michigan’s fall camp has started to paint a much brighter picture around Bryce Underwood, and the latest comments out of Ann Arbor suggest the sophomore quarterback is taking a real step forward.
That matters because Underwood’s first college season came with the usual growing pains. He had his moments, but there were also plenty of rough edges, and he did it all without a dedicated quarterback coach. That changed when Kyle Whittingham was hired as Michigan’s head coach and brought in Koy Detmer Jr. to work with the position group.
Detmer met with the media on Monday, and the takeaway was clear: Underwood looks far more settled now than he did in the spring. Detmer said there were “ups and downs” during spring work, something Michigan fans already saw in the spring game, but he also pointed to a quarterback who has absorbed the system and is operating with much more confidence.
Here was the assessment from Detmer via The Wolverine: “I’d say the biggest thing that I’ve noticed over these last couple of weeks is just his comfort level. In the pocket, in the system … it was a new system, and we threw everything at him. To his credit, he took all that knowledge in at a really fast pace and did a really good job with it.”
Detmer also credited the “extra work” Underwood put in over the summer, and the signs have shown up in the work itself. His footwork looks cleaner.
His throwing motion is more compact. And the ball is coming out with more conviction.
That showed up recently when Underwood connected with Andrew Marsh on a 60-yard touchdown pass in practice.
Just as important, he’s doing more of it from the pocket against a defense that isn’t giving him anything easy. That’s a strong sign for a quarterback who is still early in his college career. And while the passing growth is grabbing attention, Underwood’s running ability is still part of the equation this season, even if that hasn’t been the main storyline so far.
Michigan’s cornerbacks coach, Jernaro Gilford, gave an even more forceful read on the improvement. He said the difference from spring to now has been dramatic and described the quarterback as difficult to deal with in practice.
“Night and day from spring to now, man,” Gilford said. “Starting in fall camp, he’s made so many amazing throws … wild throws that had us in awe. He’s doing stuff like that.
“He’s going to be all right. Knowing what our defense does to opposing quarterbacks, to see him make certain throws against us makes us pretty, pretty confident in that young man. ”
That confidence will be tested soon enough. Michigan will find out a lot more about Underwood when the schedule starts to tighten up, beginning with Oklahoma. Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana all bring strong defenses as well, and Minnesota and Michigan State can’t be brushed aside either.
For now, though, the reports coming out of camp are pointing in one direction: Underwood looks a lot different than he did in the spring.
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