Bryce Underwood has the talent. Nobody’s arguing that part.
Michigan went after him for a reason, and LSU and others did too. The tools jump off the page: he’s big, strong, fast, and can drive the ball to every area of the field. That’s the easy part to see.
What’s become harder to ignore is everything else.
Underwood arrived in Ann Arbor as a true freshman and turned 19 just days before taking his first snaps as a Wolverine. Early on, there were signs that the maturity piece was lagging behind the ability.
He was seen laughing on the sideline even while Michigan was losing. He brushed off an interception against Northwestern late in the fourth quarter that looked like it could have cost the Wolverines the game.
He was even taking pictures with fans in the stands during Michigan’s win over Michigan State before the game was officially over.
Some of that could be chalked up to youth. It didn’t make it right, but it was at least understandable given the age and the situation around him.
That leniency disappeared once he was named a captain.
That’s not a small thing at Michigan. It’s usually an honor for upperclassmen, and Tom Brady has said it’s the greatest accomplishment of his life.
Captains are supposed to carry weight. They take blame that isn’t always theirs.
They hand out credit freely. They set the tone.
Jim Harbaugh understood that well enough that he sometimes handed postgame media sessions off to players, keeping the attention on the locker room instead of himself. That was part of his approach to leadership.
Through one game in that role, Underwood doesn’t seem to get what comes with it.
Saturday’s 13-12 win over Western Michigan put that on display again. His play wasn’t good. He looked a lot like the inconsistent quarterback Michigan saw for much of his freshman season, and it’s hard to argue he looked improved from one year to the next.
There is still time for that to change. By all accounts, Underwood works hard, is coachable, and does the extra things that help a player grow. But quarterback comes with responsibility, and Underwood is not meeting the standard that comes with it right now.
The clearest example came on a throw toward Jalen Hoffman that left him crunched between two defenders. It was the kind of pass people call a hospital ball.
After that, cameras caught Underwood smiling and laughing as if nothing serious had happened.
That’s where the contrast with past Michigan quarterbacks becomes impossible to miss. Devin Gardner, speaking Monday on “The Blue Print” podcast with former Michigan tight end Jake Butt, recalled a similar moment involving Denard Robinson and Roy Roundtree. Robinson’s throw got Roundtree hit hard enough that he wore protection over his ribs for the rest of the season.
“Denard not only in the game, but when we got home, throughout the week, Denard was devastated,” Gardner said. “I’ve never seen a person more sad, he was almost in tears during the game, going to check on him at the hospital. He couldn’t believe that he had done that to his teammate.”
Underwood had a chance to address that perception Wednesday when he spoke with the media. Instead, he doubled down on the same vibe.
“I'm always smiling when I'm playing football, no matter what, win, lose or draw. I play the game with a passion, so of course there's a smile on my face," Underwood said to the media Wednesday.
Sure, football is supposed to be fun. Nobody’s pretending otherwise.
But that was the wrong answer at the wrong time. It came off like he was brushing past the possibility that he’d put a teammate in harm’s way, and then folding it into his general approach to the game.
Robinson had his flaws as a quarterback, but when he made a mistake like that, he handled it the right way. He was bothered by it.
He checked on his teammate. He kept doing that because he understood what it meant.
Underwood, by contrast, sounded like a captain who isn’t yet carrying the burden that title demands.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Sees A Bigger Michigan QB Problem Than Fans Realize
Urban Meyer spent part of The Triple Option Podcast looking beyond the usual chatter around Michigans quarterback room and zeroing in on what he sees as the real issue. He pointed to the relationship between head coach Kyle Whittingham and Bryce Underwood, but also noted that the young quarterback is still physically underdeveloped, which adds another layer to a situation fans have mostly framed as a simple depth-chart discussion.
Meyer also brought Tommy Carr into the picture as a possible source of competition, and his larger point was clear enough: Whittingham will lean on whoever gives the team the best chance to win. The early schedule only sharpens the pressure, because Meyer suggested a loss to Oklahoma could force significant changes around the team, leaving Michigans quarterback situation even more unsettled than it already looks. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Has A New Pass Rusher Facing His First Real Test
Dom Nichols wasted little time making his presence felt in his first start, setting the tone for Michigans edge rush in the opener against Western Michigan. The production was there, but so was the broader message from coaches and teammates, who have pointed to Nichols as a player whose physical and mental growth has quickly made him a factor in the defense.
Now the challenge gets bigger. Nichols is already looking ahead to Oklahoma and quarterback John Mateer, and he knows the next test will be a better measure of where his game stands against a skilled, experienced opponent. For Michigan, that makes Nichols one of the more interesting pieces to watch as the matchup gets tighter and the pass rush is asked to hold up under real pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Hockey Faces Disturbing Lawsuit Over What The Program Allowed
A federal lawsuit filed in Detroit has put a long shadow over Michigan hockey, with 16 former players accusing the program of tolerating ritualized sexual hazing from 1984 through 2001. The complaint says coaches and staff knew about humiliating and abusive initiation practices and allowed them to continue, naming longtime figures such as Red Berenson and Mel Pearson as part of the environment the plaintiffs say enabled the conduct.
The university has not yet formally responded, and the case now pushes beyond the sport itself into the question of how much a high-profile program can be held accountable for what happened inside it. The former players are seeking financial damages, along with prevention training meant to keep similar behavior from being repeated, leaving Michigan to confront a deeply serious allegation that reaches back across nearly two decades of its hockey history. [Read more 🡒]