Michigan's national title window is open with Bryce Underwood in the fold

Breathe easy, Michigan fans. Bryce Underwood is coming back.

The former five-star quarterback, who started all 13 games for the Wolverines last season, announced on social media, with a post on X, that he will come back for next season.

Underwood was ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, as well as the top-ranked quarterback. He signed with Michigan after being committed to LSU. Underwood then won the starting job coming out of fall camp.

Whether he would come back has been an open question. Kyle Whittingham wasn't necessarily viewed as a quarterback guru, like some of the other candidates on the list. Jason Beck is a known as a quarterback developer, though.

Beck oversaw the growth of Devon Dampier at Utah, where Dampier quarterbacked an offense that averaged 41 points per game in 2025. Dampier also had nearly 500 yards of total offense in Utah's bowl win over Nebraska, which had to get Underwood's attention.

Underwood completed 60.3 percent of his passes in 2025 for 2,428 yards. He had 11 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. He averaged 186 yards through the air, while gaining 392 rushing yards and scoring six touchdowns on the ground.

Those numbers will improve. Even without Beck, they would improve. Underwood will be a better player next season, but he flashed plenty in 2025.

He averaged 216 yards per game and accounted for 17 total touchdowns as a freshman. It would be foolish to think Underwood wouldn't improve greatly, especially under a coach like Beck.

Some fans might scoff at the idea, but with Underwood in the fold, the two-year window to maybe win a national championship is open.

The Wolverines will need a lot more pieces in the portal to make it happen in 2026, but getting to the College Football Playoff, something Michigan was one win away from during Underwood's freshman season, seems well within reach, especially now that Michigan football has one of college football's best head coaches, to pair with one of the sport's most talented quarterbacks.