The closer we get to the 2026 Michigan football season, the more positive the reports have been about quarterback Bryce Underwood.
The sophomore quarterback had some ups and downs last season. It was his first season of college football, and he didn't even have a dedicated QB coach.
Kyle Whittingham fixed that when he was hired as the Michigan football head coach, hiring Koy Detmer Jr. He spoke with the media on Monday, and coming out of that, Wolverine fans should feel even more confident about Underwood's progression.
Detmer said there were "ups and downs" during the spring. Michigan football fans saw that during the spring game. However, the light has truly come on for Underwood. He even had a 60-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Marsh in practice recently.
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 noted all the "extra work" Underwood put in over the summer. In the videos of him throwing, you can see the difference. The footwork looks better and his throwing motion is more compact.
The fact that Underwood is standing in the pocket, against a really good defense, I might add, and making plays is a really good sign. We have barely heard him about running the ball, and trust me, that's something else he will do this season.
The difference for Bryce Underwood has been night and day
Jernaro Gilford, the cornerbacks coach, also met with the media. He talked about how difficult it has been to defend Underwood 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. ”
Michigan fans should be confident, too. We will have to see what Underwood can do against the best teams on the schedule, starting with Oklahoma. Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana, all of those teams will have really good defenses, too. Minnesota and Michigan State shouldn't be overlooked either.
Nobody in the Big Ten can be overlooked. Nothing will come easy this season, but if Underwood is "night and day" different when the games start happening, Michigan will be up to the challenge.
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