Will Bryce Underwood thrive under new Michigan coach?
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There are a lot of questions surrounding Michigan football entering the 2026 season, but there's one that stands above them all.
Despite all of the changes — Kyle Whittingham replacing Sherrone Moore as the head coach, a new offensive and defensive coordinator, injury concerns for Rod Moore and John Henry Daley, and more — most of the offseason has centered around how good (or not) quarterback Bryce Underwood will be in year two. And that's also ESPN's biggest question for the Wolverines going into the year.
ESPN put together one burning question for each of the presumptive top 25 teams, and Michigan's big question was about the pairing between Underwood and Whittingham.
2025 record: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten
Can sophomore QB Bryce Underwood take a big step forward under new coach Kyle Whittingham?
Underwood, the nation's No. 1 overall recruit last year, immediately won a starting job as a true freshman. But operating with limited weapons around him amid the chaos surrounding former coach Sherrone Moore, Underwood had an up-and-down debut season, completing just 60.3% of his passes with 11 touchdowns. Whittingham has said one of his primary goals is to turn the "mega-talent" Underwood into a "completely finished product." If that happens, Michigan could emerge as a surprise contender in the Big Ten. — Trotter
ESPN isn't wrong that if Underwood at least grazes his actual potential, it could thrust the Wolverines into the spotlight and make them one of the top teams in the conference. Michigan is expected to be about fourth in the conference according to most projections, but many of them are not considering the possibility that Underwood does make a relatively substantial sophomore leap. Even if he sees a modicum of improvement — which wouldn't be unreasonable considering the offensive line is expected to be better, and the maize and blue have three new receivers who could pay early dividends — with the defensive prowess and the strength of the team expected to be up front, the Wolverines could be better than expected.
However, the schedule featuring six teams on the projected top 25 — Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State — complicates things greatly for the maize and blue.
Michigan is currently in summer conditioning. Big Ten media days kicks off next week, with fall camp starting the following week.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Will Bryce Underwood thrive under new Michigan coach?
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