Bryce Underwood made a lot of headlines the moment he committed to Michigan. As the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 class, expectations followed him naturally, and so did the pressure. The five-star recruit is the player to watch out for in the upcoming fall, and reports suggest that the freshman is going to be the starting quarterback for the Wolverines in the 2025 season. But for now, those are all reports and assumptions; nothing has been confirmed yet.

But surprisingly, things in Ann Arbor aren’t as tense as you’d expect. Despite coming off a ‘not so good’ season, the vibes inside Sherrone Moore’s squad are calmer than usual, and that’s what Underwood needs as well. Michigan’s last season ended with a regular season record of 7-5. However, they finished the season on a great note, defeating two powerhouses, Ohio State (13-10) and Alabama (19-13). Those back-to-back wins surely displayed something to the few stars coming in: that this program knows how to rise when it matters most.

That brings us to one of the most respected voices in college football, Josh Pate, who recently shed light on Michigan’s situation ahead of the upcoming season. “Michigan’s a weird team because everyone remembers how they ended last year,” Pate said on his YouTube channel. “So Michigan went 7-5, but the last two things you saw them do were beat Ohio State and beat Alabama. Okay, so that’s like an Evel Knievel ramp jump into the next year. But that’s also not how this sport works. Momentum year to year is not a real thing.”

Pate’s point was clear here: that momentum doesn’t carry year to year, and there are a lot of factors behind it. You’ve got roster changes, a different schedule, and, most importantly, you never know when your starting players might go down with an injury. So, even their back-to-back wins in the last two games aren’t a guarantee that they’ll be dominating in the upcoming fall.

But there’s something about this year that feels different. “I still think they’ll be better than 7-5, though. So if I had to go better or worse, I’d go better on Michigan.” Pate said. Fortunately, the schedule is in their favor, too. No Penn State. No Oregon, and they get Ohio State at home. “They feel one year away, but they play Ohio State at home. They don’t play Oregon and Penn State, at least in the regular season.” Pate added.

Pate also talked about Michigan’s quarterback situation, and indirectly, he confirmed that Underwood is the potential QB1 for the Wolverines. “The whole question about Bryce Underwood is, is he going to be their starter at quarterback? Well, if he’s not, I mean, Mikey Keene’s played a whole lot of football. So, it’s not that they’ll be worse; they certainly can’t be any worse at quarterback than they were last year.” This tells a lot about the powerful QB room Sherrone Moore has this season. But how will this impact Underwood’s gameplay?

Bryce Underwood isn’t alone, but all eyes are on him

Michigan’s QB room is pretty stacked right now with guys like Davis Warren, Mikey Keene, Jadyn Davis, and, of course, Underwood. When you have that kind of quarterback lineup, it actually helps the starter feel more confident. Given the amount Sherrone Moore’s program has invested in Underwood, the 6-foot-4-inch, 208-pounder is most likely to lead the team in the season opener. The five-star recruit has reportedly received an NIL deal worth $12 million from the Wolverines.

But having a big price tag doesn’t mean it will bring you an opportunity easily. As Pate said, Moore also has Mikey Keene, who has been super consistent in the last two seasons for Fresno State, racking up nearly 3,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons. And then, there’s Davis Warren, who has been with Michigan since 2022 but is yet to prove his talent. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing around 195 pounds, Warren racked up 1,999 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

However, Underwood still has an advantage here: Keene is coming from a Group of Five conference, Warren’s average performance last season, and Jadyn is still developing. That means Underwood has a high chance of becoming Michigan’s starting QB. But, whoever Moore chooses as his QB1, one thing’s sure: that the starting QB is going to play freely, knowing that he has a great backup behind him.