This was the season when Bryce Underwood was supposed to take the big step forward and show the talent that made Michigan push so hard for his flip during his recruitment. People at LSU were supposed to be left heartbroken that he made the move to Ann Arbor instead of Baton Rouge. Instead, it has been the same old poor play from Underwood, and now even other position players are performing better than him - and it's not even close.
Ohio State star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been completely balling out this season. Normally, I wouldn't be praising a Buckeyes player, but Smith only has one game this season in which he has fewer than 100 receiving yards, and it came against Kent State, a game he didn't even play the full time. Smith has played so well that he already has a total of 44 receptions, 823 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
With those numbers, Smith is averaging 165 receiving yards per game, which is only 11 yards fewer than Underwood's average passing yards per game, which is 176. That is not a good look for Underwood at all, especially when it's a rival.
Jeremiah Smith is nearly averaging more receiving yards per game than Bryce Underwood is averaging passing yards. pic.twitter.com/GvlbSMtK4G
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) October 5, 2026
Bryce Underwood isn't the star player for Michigan that Jeremiah Smith is for Ohio State
Smith has been the guy for Ohio State for three years now. As a freshman, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship by being unguardable. It seemed like Smith wouldn't be able to continue his dominance and that teams would find an answer. While his sophomore season wasn't quite as good as his freshman year, he still was an asset for the Buckeyes.
Now in Year 3 with Ohio State, Smith is completely breaking out and is on pace to shatter his season-high 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns from 2024. Underwood, on the other hand, is looking like the same QB from last season. With only 881 passing yards, he hasn't been able to expand the passing game like the coaching staff made it sound like he could in the offseason.
When it comes to protecting the football, Underwood hasn't improved much in that category either, with only five touchdown passes and four interceptions. In his freshman season, Underwood had just 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, so that turnover margin is holding strong.
Underwood hasn't proven to be the difference-making star player for Michigan like Smith is for Ohio State. Granted, the wide receiver and quarterback positions are very different, but the fact that Smith is nearly averaging as many receiving yards per game as Underwood is passing yards per game is honestly embarrassing.
It might be time for Michigan to make some tough decisions when it comes to Underwood, which is hard to do when he makes $3 million a year as the star player. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has been open about the possibility of benching Underwood, and if it comes to that, it could be the end for the former five-star recruit in Ann Arbor.
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