For Michigan fans, this should come as no surprise.
The number one player in the high school class of 2025, quarterback Bryce Underwood, is emerging as the frontrunner for the opening day starter gig.
Here is what some current Wolverines had to say about Underwood, who will not turn 18 until next week:
“Bryce can do it all,” defensive back Zeke Berry said, via Aaron McMann of MLive. “He can run, he can throw. It doesn’t matter how far, he’s going to throw it.”
“He has to grow and he has to continue to do that, and do that with live bullets,” defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan said. “But you talk about maturity for a kid that’s always in the media, everything he does everybody’s always looking at with a fine comb. I think he’s handled it like a pro. I think he’s super-talented. There’s a reason why he’s the No. 1 player in the country.”
Beyond Underwood’s impressive physical tools (6-foot-4, 210 pounds, cannon of an arm, mobility…), he has already had to deal with the national spotlight. The pressure is on in Ann Arbor after an underwhelming 8-5 campaign in 2024, and Underwood holds the keys not only to this fall’s success, but perhaps the next three years, too.
Michigan starts with New Mexico at home. That one should be a tune-up for the huge week two tilt against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Underwood will not be perfect right away, but he needs to prove that he is worthy of the hype sooner rather than later.
So far, Berry and Morgan approve.