New Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham has a lot of work to do. First things first, though, is locking down his star quarterback for next season.
When Whittingham met with the media during his introductory press conference on Sunday in Florida, the head coach said he spent 45 minutes meeting with Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood, who started all 12 games for the Wolverines as a freshman.
The meeting went well from Whittingham's perspective. Underwood said he was "excited" about the new head coach when asked by the media. The star QB also said he would make a final decision on where to play next season after the Citrus Bowl.
Michigan "trending in the right direction" with Bryce Underwood
Michigan headman @UtahCoachWhitt’s meeting with @BryceUnderwoo16 has things trending in the right direction, QB coach says (VIP) https://t.co/QrmkvQ4CTe pic.twitter.com/nPE0aKMooG
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) December 30, 2025
However, Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider reported on Tuesday morning that things are "trending in the right direction, for Michigan football to keep Underwood, following that first meeting.
Once a new offensive coordinator is hired, that will also play a factor in Underwood's decision. However, Whittingham talked about using a spread offense. His program has always run the ball well, like Michigan, but the Utes also had 25 touchdown passes this season and averaged 41 points per game.
Whittingham has coached three 3,000-yard passers in the past seven seasons. Michigan has three in its entire history. Landing Jason Beck as the play-caller, who was at Utah last season, plus New Mexico, Virginia, and Syracuse before that, would be a positive step forward.
It has always felt like Underwood would return to Michigan football instead of entering the transfer portal. Nothing is a done deal yet, but it does feel like things are trending the right way.