Why Bryce Underwood is poised for a breakout season

Why Bryce Underwood is poised for a breakout season

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Why Bryce Underwood is poised for a breakout season
Bryce Underwood
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) looks to pass the ball during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

The Michigan Wolverines are coming off one of the noisiest offseasons in all of college football. Head coach Sherrone Moore was dismissed from the program after the Univeristy determined that he had been involved in an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer.

“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the university announced in December. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

The university then hired Jenner & Block, a Chicago-based law firm,  to launch a full investigation into the practices and culture of its athletic department and the scandals that have impacted it recently. Ultimately, the investigation led to the school and athletic director Warde Manuel agreeing to mutually part ways at the end of the year.

Now, the school and football program are looking to turn the corner, a process that started with the hire of the well-respected Kyle Whittingham as the football program’s new head coach. Whittingham is inheriting a team that went 9-4 last season, including a loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. For Whittingham to get the Wolverines back to title contention, he’ll have to unlock the full potential of quarterback Bryce Underwood, the number-one overall in the 2025 recruiting class.

Luckily for Michigan fans, he’s poised to do just that.

Coming off a pedestrian season

Underwood is coming off a frustratingly average season, finishing the campaign with 2,428 passing yards on a 60.3% completion percentage. Underwood struggled throughout the year to connect with his receivers downfield, throwing just 9 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. His numbers on the ground were just as pedestrian.

Despite his impressive 6′ 4″, 228 lb frame, Moore was hesitant to use him in the ground game out of fear that he’d suffer an injury.

“(If) you run your quarterback, you better have two,” Moore said at the beginning of the season. “And I’ve always believed that, even did that with JJ (McCarthy). JJ wanted to run every game. And I was like, No, you’re gonna get hit, you’re gonna get hurt.”

In total, Underwood tallied just 392 yards rushing, finding pay dirt six times on the ground.

Poised for a breakout

However, things for the quarterback are set to change under Whittingham. The first thing the veteran coach is doing to help his young quarterback is keeping a quarterbacks coach on staff, something Underwood sorely missed in his freshman year under Moore.

Since arriving in Ann Arbor, Detmer has focused on improving Underwood at the margins:

• Footwork and Timing: Ensuring Underwood’s lower body is in sync with the route concepts.

• Processing Speed: Helping the sophomore move from “reactive” play to “anticipatory” play.

• Mechanical Consistency: Fine-tuning a release that is already among the most powerful in college football.

“What I love about Bryce is the kid works his tail off,” Detmer said of his young quarterback. “He has big goals, and his actions on a day-to-day basis actually align with those expectations.”

Rounding out these parts of Underwood’s game will help turn his flashes into consistent production, but the Michigan staff doesn’t plan to only fully unleash his arm, it’ll let his legs impact things as well.

“That’s one of the things he’s really good at, is extending the play,” Whittingham said in an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “And you’re right, to be throwing on the run as accurately as he does, if we didn’t implement that we’d be stupid.”

Underwood may have had more growing pains than the Michigan faithful anticipated as a true freshman as highly touted as he was, but now that the Wolverines have the right leaders in the building and someone dedicated to developing the traits that will help get him to the next level, don’t be surprised if number 19 is in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

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