It has been confirmed by numerous reporters and outlets that Michigan football is making a serious push to land the commitment of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
There are plenty of layers to this from a Michigan football perspective. One is that Underwood, who is ranked No. 1 overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, is also the top-ranked quarterback, and is from the state of Michigan.
The Wolverines are certainly selling a chance to play early which is smart by Sherrone Moore. Getting a quarterback in the portal would be nice but getting a dude with the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick for the next three years would be much better.
Underwood is currently committed to LSU and the Tigers won't give him up without a fight. Brian Kelly and LSU have a more wide-open offense, which could be something for U-M to overcome.
One thing Michigan football won't have to overcome is a lack of NIL money. It felt like that was a key factor the first time around.
I'm not saying that Underwood made his decision solely based on money. He made the best football decision after it was clear all of his finalists were able to meet his price. That price, according to EJ Holland of The Wolverine is "north of 5 mil" for Michigan. That's what the Wolverines are willing to pay.
It wasn't that long ago that Michigan football was talking about being "transformational" instead of transactional. Yet, the sport is a business now and if you aren't willing to pay for top talent, someone else will.
Maybe this season opened some eyes on that front. The Wolverines just landed a five-star tackle and have landed three top-100 skill guys over the past two classes at TE, WR, and RB. Andrew Olesh is becoming a concern after it was reported that he would visit Oregon again, but if Michigan lands Underwood, some others will certainly follow.