Bryce Underwood Draws $275M NFL QB Comparison As Fear Sets In for Brent Venables

“Week one from Bryce Underwood. We want to see the development of the forward pass from Michigan.” Imagine stepping into your first road game, with every eyeball on you, and not blinking. That, right there, is the Bryce Underwood narrative. If Michigan’s $10+ million investment wants to justify that “No.1 player in the country” tag, he’s got to show up. And honestly? Showing up is what he did – 251 yards in 21-31 passes with a touchdown – Underwood did in a single game what Sherrone Moore’s offense couldn’t pull off in all of 2024: a passing attack that felt… dangerous.

Maybe that’s why Sooners HC Brent Venables just couldn’t stop himself from reaching for the biggest comp in his playbook. “Brent Venables with a lot of praise for Michigan freshman QB Bryce Underwood. Said he reminds him of former Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence,” Josh Callaway took to X to share. Venables managed to see in Underwood what made Trevor Lawrence “the No. 1 player in America.” And here’s the kicker: Venables coached against Trevor Lawrence every day in practice at Clemson. He knows exactly what Lawrence looked like when the kid first walked on campus, and for him to see that same aura in Bryce? That’s either high praise… or a Freudian slip of fear.

But is all of this just lip service, or is the Sooners HC bracing for impact on Saturday night? Week 1 in Ann Arbor was a comfy stroll. The Bluebloods looked solid with Underwood launching haymakers, and Wolverines RB Justice Haynes dogwalking the Lobos’ defense with 159 yards and 3 touchdowns. But then again, was New Mexico really a threat or just a warm-up act?

For the main event on Week 2, Underwood and Moore are heading straight into Venables’ lair. They are going to face a Sooners team that is coming off a 35-3 win over Redbirds. But what really makes this version of OU scary is the defense.

Illinois State barely managed to cover 34 yards in passing. They were practically manhandled by the Sooners’ D-line and had only EIGHT first downs. This is the monster that Underwood has to tackle…. Well, it’s about time the $275 million comparison gets its first real test.

Bryce Underwood’s first real gauntlet

While some fans might think that Zac Alley‘s departure from the Sooners would make this boat lopsided, the week 1 performance says otherwise. LB Kobie McKinzie has stepped right up to fill the void left by Danny Stutsman. Plus, Kip Lewis is going to bring some solid playmaking energy to the LB slot as well.

Oh, and how can we forget returner Gracen Halton? With him, this front seven is something that can shake the Wolverines up. But then again, this won’t be the first time Michigan has faced off against prime SEC talents (flashback to the Alabama game from last year).

Also, you CANNOT underestimate Michigan DC Wink Martindale. While Venables has managed to bring in John Mateer and Jaydn Ott to revamp the dreadful 60.2 grade offense, Martindale has the perfect set of fresh legs in Tré Williams, Damon Payne Jr., and Ernest Hausmann to shut that effort down.

Saturday doesn’t just decide if Underwood’s Lawrence comparison was hype—it figures whether that hype was prophetic or premature.