Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was the first player that new Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham met when he arrived in Ann Arbor after Sherrone Moore was fired in December. Whittingham convinced Underwood to stay at the program and fulfill his multi-year deal, reportedly worth up to $12 million.
After the growing pains of a starting freshman quarterback, Underwood is widely expected to be one of the best players in both the Big Ten and college football next season under Whittingham.
Analyst Poses Bryce Underwood Development Issue Under New Coach
In a post on X on Friday, 247Sports reporter Dave Biddle revealed a shocking statistic about Whittingham’s quarterback transition record from college football to the NFL, while posing the question of whether the former Utah Utes coach could unlock Underwood’s potential.
“Amazing fact: Zero quarterbacks from Utah were drafted during Kyle Whittingham’s 21-year tenure as their head coach. Not one. Not even a 7th-rounder. He’s just the guy to get Bryce Underwood straightened out, right? Might even get that completion percentage over 60%.
Underwood led the Wolverines to a 9-4 record last season as a starter, earning a PFSN College QB Impact score of 78.0. The former five-star prospect registered 2,428 passing yards on 60.3% completion, resulting in 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, while adding 392 rushing yards and 6 scores on 88 carries.
Whittingham Details Underwood Development Plan
During a January segment of the “Triple Option” podcast, Whittingham revealed why Underwood’s development stagnated last season and detailed how he was working on getting the quarterback back on track.
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Whittingham started by adding quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer to his staff, alongside offensive coordinator Jason Beck, to address last season’s shortcomings and to help Underwood realize his potential.
“From what I understand, there was no dedicated quarterback coach working with him on a daily basis,” Whittingham said. “Which has to happen when you get a young man, 17 years old, he didn’t turn 18 till like mid-season.”
“But there’s some things in throwing mechanics and then just seems to smooth out in his fundamentals and technique. And we’re already got a good start on that. You talk about a ton of upside and Bryce Underwood’s got it all. He’s 6-foot-4 and 225 plus and has a cannon arm. And so he’s, he’s the whole package. We just got to get him refined.”
Earlier this year, Underwood also started working with renowned quarterback coach Jordan Palmer, who has worked with notable stars like Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, and Josh Allen.
Whit wasn’t head coach yet but he was the defense coordinator when Alex Smith went#1. Does that count