‘Stop Pointing the Finger at the 19-Year-Old’ – Heisman Winner Demands Michigan Be Held Accountable for Bryce Underwood’s Stalled Development
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Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood has borne the brunt of the Michigan Wolverines’ woeful start to the season. After the Wolverines were upset in Week 5 by the Minnesota Golden Gophers, fans and analysts called for Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham to bench Underwood in favor of freshman Tommy Carr to save the team’s season.
This week, former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III sided with Underwood and instead pointed the finger at the Wolverines.
Robert Griffin Blames Michigan for Bryce Underwood’s Struggles
During a recent segment of the “Outta Pocket With RGIII” podcast, Griffin slammed the Wolverines for failing to produce an environment in which Underwood can thrive.
“Michigan, one of the biggest alumni bases in the world, and they have completely failed Bryce Underwood,” Griffin said. “Michigan offered me a job two years ago to be Bryce Underwood’s quarterback coach. I ended up turning it down, thank God I did, for everything that happened there.
“But you can’t bring in a head coach like Kyle Whittingham and an offensive coordinator like Jason Beck, who had no experience developing an NFL-type QB that Bryce Underwood has the potential to be. I know there were some rumors around that maybe they might bench him or maybe might move on from him. They’ve guaranteed this guy $12 million in NIL deal.”
Underwood was the No. 1-ranked quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2025 and the former five-star talent initially committed to the LSU Tigers. Media personality Dave Portnoy and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison were involved in a massive $12.5 million campaign that led Underwood to flip his commitment to Michigan.
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Underwood was an immediate starter for the Wolverines under former coach Sherrone Moore, and he showed flashes of his potential last season, amassing 2,428 passing yards on 60.3% completion, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, adding 392 rushing yards and six scores.
Griffin suggested how offensive coordinator Jason Beck should handle the Underwood situation during the Wolverines’ bye week.
“It’s not about the money; he’s so talented, they have to build the system around what he does best and not what they think their offense should be,” Griffin added. “I think Kyle Whittingham’s a great coach. Jason Beck has had extreme success as an offensive coordinator. Bryce Underwood, he starts with his arms and finishes with his legs. They can’t keep running an offense that makes him start with his legs.
“I would love to see them take the bye-week, build it around what he does best, because you can’t punish your QB who’s failing when you failed him… You saw it with J.J. McCarthy; he was able to develop and become a first-round pick. But with Bryce, it just never got to that point. I don’t think it’s a lost cause, but they have to do some massive soul searching and stop pointing the finger at the 19-year-old.”
With Underwood under center, the Wolverines have struggled in several games this season. Michigan has earned a woeful PFN CFB Offense Impact score of 68.8 (No. 102 in college football).
This season, the dual-threat quarterback has tallied 881 passing yards on 59.3% completion, five touchdowns, and four interceptions, adding 212 rushing yards and two scores. Underwood has earned a PFN CFB QB Impact score of 75.1 (No. 76 nationally).
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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