Can Bryce Underwood revamp Michigan’s passing attack?

The Michigan Wolverines’ quarterback room left a lot to be desired last year. Fans were desperate to find the answer at quarterback after the departure of J.J. McCarthy. Yet when Bryce Underwood decommitted from LSU and committed to Michigan, fans knew that they had found their answer at quarterback. Underwood joins an upgraded quarterback room with the chance to be the Week 1 starter for the Wolverines. 

Michigan Wolverines: Who is Bryce Underwood?

Bryce Underwood was the No. 1 recruit of the 2025 class. Coming out of Belleville High School, just 30 minutes from Ann Arbor, Underwood lit up the Michigan high school football scene. He was a four-year starter, totaling a 50-4 record, 12,919 all-purpose yards, 179 total touchdowns, and two state championships. He also set state records in career all-purpose yards, touchdowns, passing yards, and total touchdowns.

Underwood won the 2024 Michigan Mr. Football as well as the Michigan Gatorade Player and the Michigan High School Football Player of the Year award in both his junior and senior seasons. He also won the Michigan Division 1-2 Player of the Year award twice. Underwood had an illustrious high school career, accumulating a cabinet of accolades from his freshman to senior seasons. From the moment Underwood stepped on a football field, he was a special talent. Now, the childhood Michigan fan will have a chance to be the fourth Wolverines quarterback to start as a true freshman.

#1 Recruit Bryce Underwood highlights.

Michigan’s starting QB next year 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2RUxfg9dBZ

— College Football Report (@CFBRep) December 1, 2024

Position Outlook

Bryce Underwood has every opportunity to be Michigan’s first true freshman starting quarterback since 2009. However, he will have to beat out transfer quarterback Mikey Keene to do it.

Keene has been a college starter for four seasons at both UCF and Fresno State and will look to showcase his talent at the highest level at Michigan. Keene even played a game in the Big House in 2024 when Fresno State came to Ann Arbor to play Michigan. He threw for 235 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. In 2024, Keene threw for 2,892 yards at a 70.4-percent completion rate, along with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Keene provided a steady presence for a Fresno State team that finished 4th in the Mountain West. 

Keene will be Underwood’s primary competition, especially after Davis Warren tore his ACL at the end of the 2024 season in the Outback Bowl versus Alabama.

Former four-star and redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis will also be actively competing for the starting job. A once highly touted recruit was thought to be the expected starting quarterback in 2025 before Underwood committed. With a muddy future and underwhelming spring game performance, Davis may start the season as the third quarterback on the depth chart, but will certainly be given an opportunity to start.

Strengths and Weaknesses

At just 18 years old, Underwood has all the tools to be a successful college quarterback and be one of the best at the position. His 6-foot-4 frame willow allow him to add muscle, making him a valuable threat as a strong pocket passer and mobile rushing threat. His arm talent is also unparalleled, and Underwood will immediately possess one of the strongest arms in college football. He’s improved as a pocket passer each year in high school and has shown the ability to stand in the pocket and deliver accurate passes downfield. 

On time and on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/KijuZKlUUy

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 12, 2025

Underwood will need to focus on the technical aspects of playing quarterback. While he showed improvement and strong traits in high school, he will still need to dial in on the aspects of quarterbacking that his physical traits can’t mask.

Over time, his footwork will need to improve. He will also need to throw with more touch and anticipation to fit balls into tight windows and deliver accurate throws in the intermediate areas of the field. Underwood has demonstrated the ability to progress through reads without becoming frantic, but he will still need to improve to become a great college quarterback. However, at just 18 years old, Underwood will have plenty of time to hone his skills and become a better player day by day.

Outlook for 2025

Bryce Underwood will be given every opportunity to start games for Michigan, but it will be his responsibility to impress coaches enough to win the starting job. While it seems unlikely that Underwood will start in Week 1, the growing consensus is that he will take over the starting job at some point in the season after learning the offense.

However, if Underwood impresses in training camp, he could find himself as the Week 1 starter. Underwood will have to capitalize in his training camp reps and eventually in-game reps to keep the starting job. He could make appearances in games, similar to J.J. McCarthy’s freshman season, where he came in for specialized packages until he is ready to fully start games for the Wolverines.