Bryce Underwood’s college football reputation has swung hard in the space of a year. Last summer, the Michigan quarterback was wrapped in hype. Now, after a freshman season that fell short of those expectations, the conversation has flipped so far the other way that he’s starting to look underrated.
That’s not necessarily a bad place for him to be. Underwood needs a chip on his shoulder, and the source of the criticism matters less than the edge it can create.
He was too comfortable last season, and Sherrone Moore seemed scared to give Underwood the kind of coaching that he needed. Kyle Whittingham isn’t.
That should matter for a 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback who still has plenty to prove.
Not everyone is buying the idea that Underwood is being overlooked, though. Two writers from The Athletic ranked the top college football quarterbacks and put him 31st overall. In the Big Ten, he landed 10th, grouped in the fourth tier with Anthony Colandrea of Nebraska, among others.
That ranking feels low enough to raise eyebrows, especially if Michigan is counting on more than a modest step forward. If Underwood really is the 10th-best quarterback in the conference next season, it would be hard to picture Michigan football winning more than eight or nine games. The schedule includes some strong quarterbacks, including a few who could end up in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Still, expecting that kind of ceiling from Underwood right now may be too much. He looks better than the 10th-best quarterback in the Big Ten, particularly when you look back at a freshman season that produced more than some people seem willing to remember.
The coaching staff held him back. He wasn’t allowed to run often, even though he averaged 30 yards per game, and he also wasn’t given enough freedom to throw it around.
There were good outings against Washington, Wisconsin, Maryland, Northwestern, and USC. There were also rough ones against Ohio State, Michigan State, and Oklahoma.
If Underwood simply runs as much as the staff says he will, that alone could change a lot. He already completed 60 percent of his passes, and he should have more help this time around with better receivers, a better offensive line, a quarterbacks coach, and another year of experience.
It would be a surprise if he didn’t improve. The question is how far he can climb, whether he gets close to the level of Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, Jayden Maiava, Josh Hoover, Demond Williams, Malik Washington, Rocco Becht, Malik Washington, Nico Iamaleava, and Drake Lindsey.
For now, the bigger point is simple: Underwood is being underrated. That’s the mirror image of where he was a year ago, and maybe it’s exactly where he needs to be.
In Other News...
Michigan Recruiting Momentum Suddenly Includes A Familiar Name
Michigans 2028 recruiting board is starting to take on a familiar shape, and it comes with a name Wolverines fans already know well. Carson Graham, the younger brother of former Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, is among the prospects looking at Ann Arbor, while four-star backs Cartae Ligon and Xander Edwards are also showing real interest as the Wolverines continue building relationships early in the cycle.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: a family connection in Grahams case, and established ties with running backs coach Tony Alford for both Ligon and Edwards. Ligon has long had Michigan near the top of his list because of that relationship, and Edwards is set to see the program in person this fall after earning an offer and lining up a game visit, giving the staff a chance to keep momentum going with a pair of highly regarded backs. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Cannot Let This 2028 Receiver Slip Further South
Michigan has a familiar angle in the chase for Jarvis Stevenson, and it is one that can matter with a prospect this early in the process. The 6-foot-5 dual-sport athlete out of John Curtis Christian School in New Orleans has roots in Grand Rapids, giving the Wolverines a built-in hometown connection as they try to keep him from drifting deeper into SEC territory. Michigan identified him early and put a scholarship on the table while he was still beginning to build his profile, which at least gives the Wolverines a foothold in a recruitment that already has plenty of national attention.
The challenge now is holding that position against the usual heavyweight crowd. LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and Alabama are all in the mix, and for Michigan the pitch has to be about more than geography alone. The Wolverines will need to lean into how Stevenson could fit their offense and why Ann Arbor offers a different path than the one being laid out by the schools farther south, because once a receiver with his size and upside becomes a priority for that many programs, the race tends to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Be Building Something Dangerous In Ohio
Michigans new staff under Kyle Whittingham is wasting little time treating Ohio like a priority territory, and the early signs suggest the Wolverines want more than just the occasional border-state win. With coaches who know the state well, Michigan has started leaning into relationships there and has already added four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert in the 2027 class while staying active with a growing list of younger prospects.
The next wave could matter even more. Michigan is in the mix for Ohio talent such as Asa Burch in the 2028 class, and four-star running back Carte Ligon is expected back in Ann Arbor for a Gameday visit this fall after seeing campus once already this spring. For a program trying to build something lasting, the real question is whether this is a one-off burst of momentum or the start of a pipeline that keeps sending Ohio prospects north. [Read more 🡒]