Bryce Underwood is walking into Year 2 after Michigan went 9-4 in 2025, with a 7-2 Big Ten record and a 41-27 Citrus Bowl loss to Texas. The job around him does not look the same with big expectations in place. New head coach Kyle Whittingham has asked the quarterback to do something he says no one else pushed in the same way.

In a WXYZ “100 Yards” walk-and-talk with Underwood, on September 3, lead sports anchor Tina Nguyen asked him, “What has he challenged you on that no one else has?” 

“Being more of a vocal leader,” Underwood answered. “When he first got here, the first thing he said to me was, take the bigger step of being a leader this year. That’s what was upcoming, and that’s what I have done.”

Underwood is still only 19, and heading into his sophomore year. Still, the ask is not only about cleaner throws, but Whittingham wants him louder and more visible.

Underwood tied that demand to his own Year 2 plan. He said improvement means “being more calm and being more of a vocal leader” and “having more mental strength than I had last year.” 

Players voted Underwood a spring captain on February 2, 2026, alongside Jordan Marshall, Rod Moore and Trey Pierce. Whittingham later said Underwood won the captain vote “by a landslide.” 

Underwood said this year’s bond “was way more natural than it was last year.” He described Whittingham’s culture as a more family culture where everyone is the same. He also said the previous six or seven months were spent bonding off the field and on the field every day. 

Underwood already had to lead in 2025. At Wrigley Field on November 15, he threw late interceptions against Northwestern, then helped drive Michigan into range for Dominic Zvada’s walk-off 31-yard field goal in a 24-22 win. 

The other side of the tape was Ohio State on November 29. 8-of-18 for 63 yards and an interception in a 27-9 home loss that ended playoff hopes. Those two games show why Year 2 is about staying even, not just stacking yards.

Whittingham has run this model for years. Utah used elected captains and a leadership council. He brought that structure to Michigan right away. Underwood’s new job is part of that culture change. 

Why the job around Bryce Underwood feels different now

Moore’s 2025 staff did not have a committed quarterbacks coach. Whittingham brought Jason Beck as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Koy Detmer Jr. as a quarterbacks specialist to help Underwood improve from his last year. 

Moore was fired for cause on December 10, 2025, after an investigation revealed shocking findings. The program was already dealing with NCAA fallout from the Connor Stalions sign-stealing case, which included a two-game suspension for Moore. 

Michigan named Whittingham its 22nd head coach on December 26, 2025, 16 days after Moore’s exit. At Utah from 2005 to 2025, Whittingham went 177-88 and became the program’s all-time wins leader. 

Now, Underwood has been working personally with a dedicated coach, and is already feelings the effects.

“It’s been amazing. Every single day we trying to work to get better, see what’s best for the offense,” Underwood said about Beck. “He’s using every single talent that we have on our offense.”

Beck’s 2025 Utah offense ranked second nationally in rushing, fourth in total offense and fifth in scoring. 

Underwood’s 2025 line shows why the staff wants both pieces. He started all 13 games, completed 202-of-335 passes (60.3%) for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. 

He added 88 rushes for 392 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns, 17 total scores. That passing total was the second-highest by a Michigan freshman starter behind Chad Henne’s 2,743 yards in 2004. 

Underwood’s own Year 2 plan is more than those numbers.

“My expectation is to be the best team player I can be,” he said.

On the field, that means cleaner decisions, better pocket footwork, and using his legs because “they believe in my legs, I believe in my legs.”