Bryce Underwood came to Michigan for a reason. He wants to win national championships. While he nearly went to LSU out of high school, Underwood has decided to grow some roots in Ann Arbor. This may be year two for him leading the Wolverines out of the tunnel, but it will be the first with Kyle Whittingham serving as his head coach. Unfortunately, coaching turmoil has hurt Underwood's stock.
In David Hale's post for ESPN ranking every FBS quarterback situation, he had all these ahead of him.
- Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr
- Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss
- Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning
- Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin
- LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt
- Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore
- Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola
- USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava
- Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton
- Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover
- Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer
- Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht
- Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed
- Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier
- Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita
- Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman
- North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey
- North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback Will Wilson
- SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings
- Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr.
It was not until we got to Tier 5: The Christian Hackenberg Paradox did we see Underwood's name...
- BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier
- California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
- Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood
Yes, there is a lot to like about what Underwood, Bear Bachmeier, and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele all bring to the table, but being labeled together surrounding Hackenberg's name is less than ideal. He is infamous for being every bit the five-star coming out of high school, but got worse with every snap he took. The New York Jets picked him in the second round, and he never played a snap in the NFL...
Having 21 quarterbacks mentioned before we even got to Underwood cannot be landing well at all.
Bryce Underwood has the right coach to lead him in Kyle Whittingham
Underwood has already made it a point to say the 2026-27 Wolverines will "be more player-led this season" and that it "[feels] like we are more of a team now." That is massive praise of Whittingham and such a total indictment of his predecessor, Sherrone Moore. Just on that alone should have us feeling quite good about Underwood taking that next leap forward during his sophomore campaign this fall.
As far as talent goes, how many names above Underwood offered as much promise coming out of high school? CJ Carr, Arch Manning, and Julian Sayin for sure, but there are a ton of guys who had to grind to get the most out of their games. Trinidad Chambliss is at the top of this list. Guys like Gunner Stockton, John Mateer, and Rocco Becht had to take advantage of every opportunity that they got.
Overall, it is not really where Underwood lies in the FBS quarterback hierarchy, but rather the name he, Bachmeier, and Sagapolutele have their names attached to. The Hackenberg label is so tough to shake. It is completely unfair for any of them to have his named associated with theirs. Bachmeier, Sagapolutele, and Underwood are just kids. They have so much room to learn and grow in college...
Read more: A breakout candidate is predicted for Michigan at exactly the right position
Ultimately, Underwood must prove himself right and others like Hale wrong to shed this Hackenberg label. It all starts by Michigan winning all the games that it should, as well as maybe one or two the Wolverines will likely be underdogs in. How Underwood and the rest of the Michigan team plays vs. Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State will tell the tale of their first season under Whittingham.
Right now, Underwood and the rest of the Michigan staff have to know there is still work to be done.
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