Being a five-star quarterback comes with a certain amount of pressure.
Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood understands that better than most. After flipping from LSU to sign with the Wolverines, he was hailed as the second coming.
Underwood didn't do anything to dampen the hype. He said he was going to be the best freshman college football has ever seen. It didn't quite work out that way.
The Michigan football quarterback was up and down as a freshman. He averaged 218 total yards per game with 11 touchdown passes (17 total) compared to nine interceptions. There were flashes of brilliance, but a lot of growing pains, too.
It helps to remember that Underwood just turned 18 last season. Looking back at where Dante Moore was after his freshman season is a good place to start. He took a season to sit on the bench, before emerging as Oregon's starer and a top NFL draft prospect.
Underwood won't have that luxury. He does have a new offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, though, who is known as a QB guru. The sophomore quarterback also has all the physical tools to be great.
Bryce Underwood's 2026 season labeled as make or break
That's one reason why USA Today Sports labeled Underwood's 2026 season as make-or-break. It actually listed it as a make-or-break season for Underwood and Jason Beck, the new OC.
Underwood is listed behind Josh Hoover of Indiana and Sam Leavitt of LSU. Each of those quarterbacks are in a different boat than Underwood, who is entering just his second season as a starter.
Is it an important season for Underwood? Yes. Is it already make or break? No. That's where the media is gettting overdramatic again, like Eric Weddle acting like Underwood can't even play quarterback.
Bryce isn't even draft eligible. Beck did a stellar job developing Devon Dampier, the Utah quarterback with the Utes and also at New Mexico. Still, it wasn't until their second season together that Dampier really took off.
Underwood will run more in 2026. That will help the offense a lot. It will make things easier for him, too, as a passer, too. Michigan football tried to keep Underwood in a box last season, instead of allowign to roam free and be a playmaker.
Beck will do that. He needs to. The ranking makes some sense in that regard. Underwood needs to shine this season if Michigan is going to make the College Football Playoff. But if Underwood doesn't take a drastic leap forward this season, it won't mean the end of his career.
What if Underwood improves slightly this season, then takes a huge jump in 2027, when he would be a junior? That seems plausible. Sort of like Arch Manning struggled some in 2025, but looks ready for a breakout season in 2026.
Quarterback development isn't linear. Yet, that's a lesson, or an idea, that the national media doesn't have much time for.
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