Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was the first student-athlete that new Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham met with when he was appointed head coach in December, after Sherrone Moore was fired. Whittingham’s priority was to secure the freshman quarterback’s commitment to the program ahead of the 2026 season.
Last week, Whittingham named Underwood the Wolverines’ QB1 for next season before spring practice started in earnest.
Bryce Underwood Reaffirms His Commitment to Michigan
While speaking to reporters after the Wolverines’ spring practice session on Wednesday, Underwood reaffirmed his commitment to the team and revealed his first impression of Whittingham.
“I was gonna stay home no matter what,” Underwood said. “(It’s) a blessing. Blessing to have him (Whittingham) here, and he’s pushing us way differently.”
Underwood became just the fourth true freshman in Michigan history to start at quarterback. After starting the season on fire, tallying 200+ yards and just 2 interceptions in 5 of his first 7 games, his form dipped, and he managed 7 interceptions in the Wolverines’ last 5 games of the season.
Still, Underwood led Michigan to a 9-4 record and earned a PFSN College QB Impact score of 78.0.
How Jason Beck Plans to Unleash Bryce Underwood’s Dual-Threat Ability
While speaking to reporters after spring practice on Wednesday, Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck revealed that the Wolverines would utilize Underwood’s running game more next season.
“Do what they do best, and so if they can run and it’s a weapon, then they’ll be fine,” Beck said. “If guys aren’t good runners, then they get themselves hurt. If guys are good runners, they’re comfortable doing that, and they excel at it, then you have good success. But that’s just part of playing the position.
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“Now, we’re obviously not live, but we have a whole season of live film of what he did as a runner, and he did a nice job. So, we’ll look to build on what he does well and utilize those talents.”
Last season, Sherrone Moore was reluctant to run Underwood because of the risk of injury, with no viable backup in place, but Beck outlined how to avoid that eventuality with talented rushing quarterbacks.
“You do have to be smart about it. You don’t want to run your quarterback 25 times, unless you have a bye week or something to get him back. 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.”
Last season, Underwood registered 2,428 passing yards on a 60.3% completion rate, resulting in 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, while adding 392 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on 88 carries.
