Bryce Underwood continues to be a dominant topic of conversation when it comes to Michigan football.
The five-star recruit has turned into a lightning rod during his short time in Ann Arbor. Mostly, he has become a target of rival fans.
Some Michigan football fans, though, have already started to question whether or not he will reach his full potential in Ann Arbor. After last season, that might seem like a fair question.
Yet, Kyle Whittingham, the Michigan football head coach, made a great point. Expectations were way too high for Underwood in 2025. What's even worse is that the previous coaching staff took away one of his best tools, the ability to run.
Sherrone Moore said before last season, if you are going to run the quarterback, you better have two. That was the Jim Harbaugh mindset, too. Harbaugh also refused to run J.J. McCarthy. Michigan did it in the biggest games, but it could have been a bigger part of the game plan.
Kyle Whittingham won't be afraid to run Bryce Underwood
Kyle Whittingham: "A lot of what you've seen Devon Dampier do at Utah, you're going to see Bryce do this year."
— Isaiah Hole (@isaiahhole) July 30, 2026
The same was true last season. Michigan didn't allow Bryce to run nearly enough. Thursday, at Big Ten Media Days, Whittingham put that question to bed, saying that Underwood will be used in a similar fashion to Utah quarterback Devon Dampier last season.
Dampier rushed for 1,166 yards with New Mexico in the 2024 season. Last year, with Utah, Dampier passed for 2,490 yards, to go along with 836 on the ground. The thing that stands out is that Dampier had over 100 rushing attempts each of the past two seasons under Jason Beck.
Will Underwood run the ball that much? As much as 10 times per game?
That feels excessive, but Oklahoma ran John Mateer nearly 20 times in the Sooners win over Michigan last season. His rushing ability was the X-factor and U-M didn't have an answer.
Underwood averaged 30 yards per game on the ground last season. He had 88 attempts (sacks included) and rushed for 395 yards. There weren't many designed runs, although they tended to work when called, and Bryce mostly scrambled, even though it seemed like he was discouraged from doing so.
Under Beck, that should be completely different. Underwood will be used in a totally different way. There will be even more RPOs. I'd expect to see more zone reads, more designed quarterback runs, and more chances for Underwood to use his freakish athleticism at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds.
Underwood will need to improve as a passer if the Wolverines want to seriously contend for the Big Ten championship. Yet, his legs can help him be productive while that growth continues, and even if he doesn't take a big jump as a passer, if Underwood's rushing production doubles this season, that alone would make this Michigan offense much more dangerous.
It remains to be seen if Underwood gets 10-12 rushing attempts per game. My guess is that Michigan football won't run him that much, but the Wolverines aren't going to keep him in a bubble either. This offense will be more aggressive and that will lead to an Underwood that's not only different, but better.
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