Michigan Wolverines insider Chris Ballas believes highly touted true freshman QB Bryce Underwood will be Sherrone Moore’s starter when the season begins in August.
The five-star recruit has demonstrated abilities that have already turned heads in Ann Arbor. How good is Underwood, really?
Bryce Underwood Separating Himself From The Pack in Michigan QB Battle
It’s hard not to set expectations for Bryce Underwood, who was 247Sports’ top-rated recruit in the Class of 2026. The Michigan native, who the same recruiting service listed ahead of Keelon Russell (No. 2 QB, Alabama), Tavien St. Clair (No.3, Ohio State), and Husan Longstreet (No. 4, USC), draws lofty comparisons.
As Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene has nursed an upper-body injury this offseason, Underwood has taken advantage of the chance to get a leg up in Michigan’s signal-caller competition. Keene is healing, Wolverines OC Chip Lindsey told Michigan analyst Chris Balas, but Underwood’s impression might be enough to seal the deal.
“Bryce Underwood, from practice one to practice 15 and what he brings to the table in terms of physical skills, is like nothing we’ve ever seen here before.” —@Balas_Wolverine on Michigan freshman QB Bryce Underwood pic.twitter.com/VDFsmLkvf8
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) June 12, 2025
“I suppose he (Keene) could come out of nowhere and all of a sudden pick up the offense, having worked with Chip Lindsey before and just wowing everybody to the point where, okay, he’s the guy,” Balas said Thursday on “Andy & Ari On3.”
“But Bryce Underwood, from Practice 1 to Practice 15, and what he brings to the table, in terms of physical skills, is like nothing anybody’s ever seen here before. And we’ve seen Drew Henson here as a true freshman. Chad Henne started here as a true freshman,” Balas continued.
“People who have been here for 35, 40 years say he is by far the best freshman quarterback, true freshman, that they have seen here.”
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247Sports’ Andrew Ivins compares Underwood to Texas Longhorns great Vince Young. As a junior, he passed for 3,036 yards and 26 touchdowns and added another 1,050 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Still, as tempting as it might be to get Underwood’s feet wet, a shaky receiving corps and offensive line could keep Michigan from rushing his starts.
“I keep telling people about Devin Gardner, for example, back in 2013, and the beating he took,” Ballas said. “He should’ve been a better quarterback here, but he didn’t have the pieces.”
Behind Underwood, Balas believes Keene is closest in the competition. Jadyn Davis, he said, is “a distant third.”
Keene threw for 2,892 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions at Fresno State a season ago. He earned All-Mountain West honorable mention honors. Davis was a top-10 passer in the Class of 2023. He appeared in one game last season.
