A Star Is Born: Bryce Underwood’s Debut Shows He Can Raise Michigan’s Ceiling

Bryce Underwood didn’t look like a freshman in his Michigan debut — he looked like the future.

The Wolverines’ 34–17 win over New Mexico wasn’t flawless, especially on defense, but Underwood stole the show. The true freshman quarterback was composed, confident, and in command — especially during a two-minute drill before halftime that ended in a touchdown. He threw for 72 yards on that drive alone and finished the day 21-of-31 for 251 yards and a score.

Let’s face it: That stat line and performance were a lot better than what Michigan got at quarterback last season. That was apparent on Underwood’s 39-yard completion to Channing Goodwin on a third-and-14 play on that aforementioned drive prior to halftime. He also didn’t need to show us his rushing ability, which I really think will be a plus for Underwood as the season goes on.

So, just from a passing standpoint, I was really impressed with Underwood. Michigan didn’t show a ton offensively under new coordinator Chip Lindsey. It was fairly static and basic, leaning on the run game to show the dominance that it’s had in that area in recent years.

Alabama transfer Justice Haynes led the way in that regard, rushing for 159 yards on 16 carries (9.9 yards per carry) and three scores as the Wolverines finished with 201 yards on the ground. That opening 56-yard run was really impressive by Haynes, setting up Michigan’s first touchdown of the game.

Once again, Michigan also has a pretty talented tight end. Marlin Klein looks like he’s replaced Colston Loveland as the go-to target for the Wolverines in the passing game. In fact, that program has been excited about Klein for a number of years. The coaches were really talking up Klein during the spring in 2024, saying how athletic and fast he was. They hinted at how he was next in line, but Klein didn’t pan out last year.

Well, after Week 1, it seems like Klein is going to be a big part of this Michigan passing game — and that’s big for Underwood. Klein had six receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, giving Underwood a big target he can go to over the middle of the field and be a threat in the run-action pass game.

In terms of specific plays, there were a couple that really stood out and impressed me from Underwood when I watched the film. On Michigan’s first third down, he stood in there and never really retreated. While it was only a third-and-6, I think that’s a big tell. When I watch young quarterbacks, I look to see how they perform in these specific situations in a game that I know they’re under a lot of pressure and there’s been a lot of focus on those plays in practice. How do they react? Is it too big of a moment for them? Are their eyes in the right spot?

Michigan ran a pretty basic formation on that third down, with everyone running hitch or stop routes four or five yards down the field. Underwood’s eyes went to the correct spot on the right side of the field and he hit Semaj Morgan with an accurate ball. Morgan spun out and got the first down.

When I watched that play, I thought, "OK, this guy was just in high school last year. That’s pretty good. That’s well done." I also thought it was better than how Arch Manning played in his road debut for Texas against Ohio State on Saturday. Manning didn’t play well, and I’m not worried about him, but Underwood had the better showing this weekend. I came away very positive from Underwood’s showing, and because of that, Michigan’s ceiling could be really high.

Of course, the competition will ramp up for Michigan from here, and I need to see how Underwood and the Wolverines play in those moments. We’ll get to see what Underwood and the Wolverines are made of as early as Saturday, when they travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma.

That’s going to be a very different setting for Underwood. Oklahoma’s defense looked very fast and physical against Illinois State in Week 1. Brent Venables is also calling plays for that unit, and the DNA for his defenses are aggressiveness and calling plays late (speculate what you want to speculate). The teams that have had success against those defenses have used tempo because they take advantage of Oklahoma’s defense not being set.

If Michigan wants to take advantage of that, it can. Opposing defenses might not think that Michigan is going to be a team that wants to go fast, so they might not prepare for that. But I think it’d be a great changeup by Michigan to use tempo – and if it can catch Oklahoma off guard, Underwood might be able to get loose.

That’s why this matchup is really interesting for Michigan. Ultimately, Sherrone Moore and Lindsey have to put Underwood in a position to succeed, which might mean running an up-tempo offense and giving the freshman fewer reads at the line of scrimmage.

Still, Michigan has to feel that it has a huge upgrade at quarterback entering Saturday’s game, and that’s a massive deal. Last year, it couldn’t throw the football, ranking ahead of only the academies in passing yards. Yet, Michigan still won two massive games late in the year thanks to its great defense.

So, I think this team quietly has some confidence now, and with this quarterback and his ability to throw the ball, it can make some waves in the Big Ten and across the country.

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show." Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube.

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