Sherrone Moore has played his card. Bryce Underwood will start the season for Michigan. A predictable yet exciting outcome for the freshman. But it isn’t going to be easy for Underwood. Not only does he have to prove his worth, but he also has to revive a QB position that saw 4 different quarterbacks last year. The 8-5 record doesn’t tell the full story of how terrible the passing game was. That’s where FOX analyst Joel Klatt wants to see improvements.

“Week one from Bryce Underwood. We want to see the development of the forward pass from Michigan,” Klatt stated firmly on The Joel Klatt Show. He stressed that the real test will not be during the season opener against New Mexico. The Wolverines are already 35-point favorites against the Lobos. Underwood’s arm strength will be put to the test when the Wolverines go against Brent Venables’ Oklahoma in week 2.

Michigan’s 2023 natty win wasn’t marked by a Joe Burrow-like run to the Heisman by JJ McCarthy. The Wolverines’ core identity, just like every great team of the past, relied on winning the trenches. On the offensive side, the likes of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards provided the much-needed balance to its attack. The best version of which was seen in their rout of the Huskies in the final. All of that disappeared in 2024. Especially the passing game.

The team ranked near the bottom of every passing category, including passes of 10+ and 20+ yards, passing first downs, and passing yards per game. When you can’t do the basics, like get at least a few downs to start the game, it leads to turnovers, and they came in plenty for the Wolverines. How can Underwood help them?

“Physically, he is gifted enough to play this level of football right away,” Klatt added. “So the question then becomes, how quickly is he going to develop in terms of the acumen of the sport?” That is the real question, especially when the B1G schedule gets going. Overall, the idea is to have a balanced attack. The dynamic duo of Alabama transfer Justice Hayner and sophomore Jordan Marshall in the backfield will help in doing that. That balance was missing in 2024. “Whether it was the USC game in a win where they largely had to just run the football, even in a two-minute drill, or even against Ohio State late in that game when they were leaning on the run game,” Klatt said.

Underwood is a dual-threat player. In his high school career, he tallied 12,919 all-purpose yards and 179 touchdowns. It’s not every day you see $12 million spent on a freshman who hadn’t yet thrown his first college snap. “So, what do you want to see week one against New Mexico?” Klatt mulled over. “You want to see some semblance of a more balanced offense. You want to see his ability to throw the football and attack every blade of grass on the field.” 

The quarterback will be aided by a promising O-line. Center Greg Crippen and guard Giovanni El-Hadi are back. Andrew Babalola may feature at some point. Among receivers, Fredrick Moore and Semaj Morgan will be more than handy. Donaven McCulley is already looking like a reliable weapon for the new QB1.

The absence of Colston Loveland at the tight end position will be felt, but the coaching staff is hoping to see some returns from Hogan Hansen and Marlin Klein. How will Michigan return to the top of the B1G? Well, it’s all on Bryce Underwood. So, one question remains. “Is he making life difficult on the defense in front of them?” as Joel Klatt puts it. Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey advised Underwood to focus on developing and not to make the same mistake twice.

Bryce Underwood is the QB1

Ann Arbor held its breath patiently for what seemed like an eternity to get the QB1 spot unwrapped. Although it hardly came as a surprise, since Sherrone Moore plucked the $12 million NIL QB from Brian Kelly’s den, the buzz was already there. It cemented his legacy as the most expensive quarterback to land in college football. Now? He made another benchmark, being the first true freshman to land the QB1 spot at Michigan.

“He’s earned the opportunity,” Moore said. “It was not given to him.” He beat senior Mikey Keene and sophomore Jadyn Davis in running for the spot. Aside from his impressive numbers, he clinched the Gatorade Player of the Year and Michigan High School POY, and went to the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl.

Although he has a college freshman tag, that does not strip him away from every experience he has had over his high school career. He started all games over four years at Belleville High, which in itself is rare, finishing off with a 50-4 record. Not to forget, he enrolled early at Ann Arbor and did not miss those spring reps and the opportunity to gel with his teammates.