Michigan Wolverines is piping into a big dream with their new crown jewel, Bryce Underwood, under the center.
Except for that one night of glory against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Sherrone Moore couldn’t do much in a season eroded with long-standing QB issues, but heading into a new season, Michigan’s head coach is betting a $10 million dime on the former LSU talent. But the immediate question it begs is: Will Underwood suit up the early season threat? We all know how good Michigan’s offense looks with Underwood under center. But Moore will not make the mistake of undermining Brent Venables’ Oklahoma, who is ready to dominate the season with his defense. “Why am I going to call the defense? Because I’m good at it,” Venables said. “And I’m confident at it.” So, the question is; is Underwood ready to take up such a big challenge right at the start of the season?
HC Moore noted that he is yet to take that call, but the spot will be up for open competition, giving an equal edge to other QBs (Jadyn Davis, Chase Herbstreit, and Mikey Keene) in the room. But even if Underwood wins the job? Can he outstrip the looming early-season threat?
The immediate success of Bryce Underwood is never guaranteed, considering the gravity of his position. He looks great. He possesses the talent to take the offense to a stupendous level under Chip Lindsey, but he is still a newbie who just had some reps of practice at Ann Arbor, beginning practice from the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Also, the 6’4”, 214-pound elite passers’ highly touted success will heavily depend on how well Moore can produce a safety net in the O-line. But let alone be the schedule a concern, still, it seems Underwood is in deep soup in his first year in the blue and yellow jersey. Michigan will travel to Norman to face a tough Oklahoma defense on September 6th. The home-and-home series was announced almost a decade back, but little did they know it would be a career-changing test for a 17-year-old kid.
It would be a hazard for a freshman QB to be exposed to such an intensely competitive game at the very start of his tenure, but Moore can’t risk letting him sit either because he can’t trust the backups to get the job done against such a top-tier defensive opponent. Divulging the risk, ROC Boys football host noted, “The week number two you’re going, you’re kind of throwing Bryce Underwood into the fire going on the road to Norman Oklahoma against the Brent Venables defense that I think is going to be a very good defense in 2025. Yes, maybe, ideally, you wanted a little bit more of a runway for Bryce Underwood to get his feet wet, but at the same time, as a Michigan fan, it kind of excites me because we’re going to figure out early what the expectation should be for Michigan on the offensive side of the football.”
”Look if Michigan and this offense, and Bryce Underwood goes on the road to Norman and look good against an Oklahoma defense on the road early in the season, all of a sudden the expectations around this Michigan offense, and I think the ceiling of this Michigan football team in general, kind of take a big shift.” What if I fall? Oh darling, what if you fly! Exactly the proverb denotes the current situation of Coach Moore and his biggest ace in the hole. A win with Underwood under the center will serve as a huge boost.
However, this is not the only risk Moore is taking on his projected QB1.
Bryce Underwood will be exposed to the ‘poaching red zone’
Underwood will be in a key position to flaunt his abilities and expertise and secure the starting job at Ann Arbor during the Spring and fall camp. However, using him for the spring practice can lead to unnecessary threats to Moore and the team.
Given the current trend of NIL and the volatile players’ movement, incidents like poaching and manipulating see a sharp rise. Spring season serves as an open platform for it. Matt Rhulle and some other coaches have already backed off from the event since they are not ready to unintentionally trade their talents to the outside coaches.
But Moore doesn’t care at all. Despite a hefty $10 million investment to secure 5-star QB Bryce Underwood, Sherrone Moore is willing to put him on the line. He doesn’t worry about coaches trying to contact him or sway him from Michigan at all. However, he knows that can happen, anyway, but not particularly just during spring. “And I know the risk—people are going to poach your players…People are going to do that regardless. People shop players. I don’t think the spring game is going to make a big difference in whether your guys get poached or not.” It’s hard to argue with that confidence.
We will see how Underwood and Michigan’s offense will gel together to face the early giant, the Oklahoma Sooners, in September and carry the momentum forward in the season.