Bryce Underwood's Future at Michigan Faces "Major Question Mark" Amid Lingering Concerns

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Bryce Underwood’s freshman season flashed his potential, but turnovers put the former No. 1 recruit’s ability under scrutiny. It didn’t help that the coaching staff didn’t provide the QB adequate resources to help his development. All that has changed under Kyle Whittingham. Even then, analysts are not expecting a big leap from Underwood next season.

“I think that he has some tools, and coaches agree that he has some tools that not a lot of people have. Whether that can be unlocked or not is the major question mark,” said Andy Staples during his July 12appearance on On3’s Andy & Ari. “But think about this: I just gave you the numbers for Devon Dampier. Jason Beck coached Devon Dampier at New Mexico and coached him at Utah. Don’t you think if they didn’t think Bryce Underwood was any good, they would have just gotten Devon Dampier to come with him?”

Ari Wasserman was quick to respond. “Yeah. I mean, isn’t the assumption that Bryce Underwood’s just a better passer in general? Like, I know that people are like, he can’t throw right now, but I don’t know if that’s a mechanics issue. He’s got a pretty big arm, so we’ll see.”

But what complicates Underwood’s situation is Michigan’s schedule next season. They have to play Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. The last two are on the road. Considering that the Sooners and the Hawkeyes are good defensively, the overall record may come down to how Kyle Whittingham’s defense performs in these big matchups.

Underwood’s 2025 season at Michigan reflected the struggles generally seen among freshmen. But he wasn’t solely responsible. The O-line struggled throughout, wide receivers couldn’t hold on to their coaches, and even the RB room suffered injuries during the campaign.

Now, he has a dedicated coach in Koy Detmer Jr., along with OC Jason Beck, who developed Devon Dampier. The Utah QB1 threw for 2,490 yards in a single season. Now, if Underwood is unable to transform his talent into wins, that could put his Michigan future at risk. Former Ohio State head coach Meyer also discussed some issues with Underwood following his conversation with Michigan’s head coach.

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with Coach Whit [Kyle Whittingham] about him,” Urban said on The Triple Option podcast. “I’m not going to share some of them because that’s between two good friends who work together. [But] there are some concerns.”

At the same time, Meyer also said that Underwood has the size and athleticism to play the position. The concerns are more about the fundamentals of the role. Whittingham’s staff has been working on his ability to read defenses, footwork in the pocket, and throwing technique. Underwood’s performance in the spring game didn’t help calm down the fan base. And if he doesn’t start the next season well, the noise is only going to grow louder at a powerhouse like Michigan.

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