Bryce Underwood, named Michigan’s starting quarterback, is now official. The five-star freshman, ranked as the nation’s number one recruit, will take over as QB1 in 2025.
The Hometown Hero They Couldn’t Let Leave
Underwood wasn’t just another blue-chip signee. He was the recruit, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, the kid from Belleville, Michigan, who had his pick of Georgia, Alabama, and LSU.
Instead, he stayed home. His high school career was absurd: 11,488 passing yards, 152 touchdowns, two state titles, and more accolades than he could fit on a mantle. At Belleville, he wasn’t just a star; he was the show.
Now he’s the face of a Michigan program trying to prove last year’s 8–5 finish was a blip, not a backslide.
Why Michigan’s Quarterback Decision Matters
This wasn’t a ceremonial coronation. Moore and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey ran an open competition. Veteran transfer Mikey Keene had the résumé: nearly 6,000 career passing yards at UCF and Fresno State. Jake Garcia brought experience from Miami and Missouri. Jadyn Davis was already in the building. And yet, Underwood kept taking reps, kept pushing the ball downfield, kept making throws no one else in the room could make. His spring-game stat line, 12-of-26 for 187 yards and an 88-yard touchdown, told part of the story. His command of the huddle told the rest.
By mid-camp, insiders were saying it was his job to lose. Monday just makes it official.
How Michigan Is Building Around Bryce Underwood
Michigan’s offense needed this shake-up. In 2024, the Wolverines averaged 129 passing yards per game — dead last in the Big Ten and ahead of only Army and Navy nationally. That won’t cut it in the modern Big Ten, especially with USC, Oregon, and Washington now on the schedule. Enter Lindsey, who came from North Carolina with a system that thrives on tempo and vertical shots. Pairing him with a freshman who can flick a 40-yard rope on the run? That’s the bet Michigan is making. The goal isn’t to turn Underwood into Superman overnight. It’s to make defenses respect Michigan through the air again, to loosen the box for running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, and to bring some balance back to the Big House.
What’s Next for Underwood
Underwood won’t be throwing to last year’s cast, either. Moore and Lindsey rebuilt the receiver room on the fly:
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Donaven McCulley, the 6’5” Indiana transfer, has been the talk of camp as a true X-receiver.
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Anthony Simpson arrives from UMass with proven production.
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Freshmen Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder add juice and depth.
It’s not a group that strikes fear like Ohio State’s or Oregon’s, but it’s deeper and more athletic than what Michigan rolled out last fall. The message is clear: if you’re going to hand the keys to a freshman QB, give him a set of weapons to grow with.
What History Tells Us About Freshman QBs in Ann Arbor
If you’re a Michigan fan of a certain age, you remember the last true freshman to open a season: Tate Forcier in 2009. He flashed brilliance, even took down Notre Dame, but the inconsistency piled up. The lesson? Talent gets you the job. Consistency keeps it. That’s the challenge for Underwood. The arm talent is there. The poise, by all accounts, is there. But Saturdays in the Big Ten are less forgiving than Friday nights in Belleville.
Still, the upside is tantalizing. This isn’t Forcier or even a young Denard Robinson. This is the No. 1 recruit in America, a quarterback Michigan fans are already whispering about in the same breath as C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence.
Why the 2025 Schedule Leaves No Margin for Error
Michigan doesn’t get to ease into this. After an opener against New Mexico, the Wolverines face Oklahoma in Norman (Sept. 13) and travel to Nebraska two weeks later. By mid-October, it’s USC in Los Angeles. At home, Washington and Wisconsin will bring physical challenges. And, as always, the season’s narrative won’t be written until late November against Ohio State.
That’s a brutal path for any quarterback, let alone a freshman. Which is why Moore’s decision is so striking: he’s not protecting Underwood; he’s pushing him into the fire right away.
What Success Looks Like
If you’re expecting Underwood to throw for 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, reset those expectations. Michigan doesn’t need him to be Caleb Williams. They need him to be steady, to convert third downs, and to make defenses honest. A 9–3 finish would likely be framed as progress. An 8–4 campaign would sting but still feel like a step forward if the offense looks modernized. Anything better than 10–2? That would mean the kid grew up fast, and Michigan suddenly has a playoff ceiling.
The Bottom Line
This is more than a depth-chart announcement. It’s a statement of belief — in a player, in a philosophy, in a future. Bryce Underwood didn’t stay home just to ride the bench. He came to Michigan to lead, and on Monday, the Wolverines will officially hand him that role. It’s risky, no question. Freshman quarterbacks make freshman mistakes. But Underwood gives Michigan something it hasn’t had in years: hope that the most important position on the field could finally be a strength, not a ceiling.
The Bryce Underwood era is here. Ann Arbor has been waiting for this moment. Now, it’s on the freshman to prove he’s ready for it.
Main Image: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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