Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was just the fourth freshman to start at quarterback for the Wolverines in the program’s history. After the firing of Sherrone Moore in December 2025, new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham made it his first order of business to ensure that Underwood did not enter the transfer portal.
Underwood, who was the No. 1 prospect in the country in the class of 2025, is expected to become one of the most lethal dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big Ten and the country next season.
Kyle Whittingham Compares Bryce Underwood to Cam Newton
During an interview with On3’s J.D. PicKell on “The Hard Count” podcast on Thursday, Whittingham paid Underwood a high compliment when he compared him to former Auburn Tigers star Cam Newton.
“He kind of reminds me of Cam Newton,” Whittingham said. “Who I didn’t have a chance to coach or be around. But as far as his charisma, his stature. Big dude… Live arm, great athlete, flashes that smile a lot like Cam did. That’s probably the guy that comes to mind, mostly.”
“His leadership is incredible. He’s a tremendous leader. That was evident from when we first got here to Ann Arbor and started the offseason program. About two weeks in, we had the team vote for captains, and he was a landslide winner as the offensive captain. So, that tells you what his teammates think about him and where he sits with them.”
After a journeyman college football career that included stops at Florida and Blinn College, Newton put together perhaps the greatest season ever by a quarterback at Auburn, culminating in a landslide Heisman Trophy win in 2010.
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In his Heisman-winning season, Newton led the Tigers to both an SEC championship and a national title, while totaling 2,854 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 1,473 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Michigan To Utilize Bryce Underwood’s Dual-Threat Ability
Underwood showed glimpses of his dual-threat ability last season, despite Moore’s reluctance to use that side of the quarterback’s game because of the lack of a viable backup.
During a news conference after spring practice on Tuesday, Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck revealed that the Wolverines would capitalize on Underwood’s running abilities next season.
“You don’t want to run your quarterback 25 times, unless you have a bye week or something to get him back,” Beck said. “But it does seem to be a part of Bryce’s skill set, doing some of the QB run game. He pulls it down and goes, and he looks pretty impressive.”
Underwood tallied 2,428 passing yards on 60.3% completion with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added 392 rushing yards and six scores on 88 carries to earn a PFSN College QB Impact score of 78.0 in his freshman season.
