The wait is finally over. After dilly-dallying for the entire fall camp, the Michigan head coach, Sherrone Moore, has made up his mind on his QB1. And to no one’s surprise, it’s going to be his prized steal from LSU, Bryce Underwood. The QB room had other contenders, especially Mikey Keene and Davis Warren. But the HC went for his freshman, hoping that he won’t have to juggle through 4 QBs like he did in 2024. Underwood’s selection isn’t just special for him. It also marks a special moment in the history of the Wolverines.

When you flip back through the dusty pages of Michigan football history, you find that the quarterback spot hasn’t often been handed to freshmen. Think about Chad Henne in 2004. He was a true freshman who got thrown into the fire when Matt Gutierrez went down right before the opener. At 19, Henne guided the Wolverines to a Big Ten title game that year. And set the template for what it meant to be ready ahead of schedule. Before him, the closest example was Rick Leach in 1975.

Leach was 18, straight out of Flint. He shocked fans when Bo Schembechler trusted him with the keys as a freshman, and he wound up a program legend. But these were rare exceptions in a 146-year-old history that typically demanded quarterbacks pay dues. This Saturday, Bryce Underwood will run out of the tunnel as Michigan’s youngest starting quarterback ever. And he is ready to kick off the 2025 season opener against the University of New Mexico.

“Bryce Underwood (18 years, 11 days) will become the youngest starting quarterback in the 146-year history of Michigan football when he takes the field next Saturday,” Michigan alum Brandon Koretz writes on X. How rare is this? Ridiculously rare. Only three other true freshmen have ever started a season opener for Michigan at quarterback. Other than Leach in ’75, Henne in ’04, there was Tate Forcier in ’09. All three went on to make their mark in their own ways, but none carried quite the same combination of hype and expectation as Underwood does now.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Bryce Underwood brings an SEC-sized frame, a rocket arm, and the kind of athleticism that’s already got folks mumbling, “Vince Young” under their breath. Big shoes? Sure. But he’s lacing them up without any hint of nerves. Moore kept the QB race under wraps all offseason. But his decision to roll with a true freshman speaks volumes about Underwood’s ridiculous upside. Michigan is giving the offense to a generational talent who just signed an eye-watering $10 million NIL deal before ever suiting up.

The risks and rewards of starting as a true freshman

In college football, the landscape for true freshman quarterbacks is one marked by promise but littered with pitfalls. And Michigan’s decision to start Bryce Underwood highlights that delicate balance between potential and uncertainty. Looking back over recent seasons, many true freshmen thrust into starting roles have faced steep learning curves. Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, a five-star recruit, is one of the examples. He was the opening-day starter last year and experienced the typical rollercoaster, a 7-6 season with moments of brilliance overshadowed by inconsistency.

He tossed 13 touchdowns but also 11 interceptions. Similarly, UCLA’s five-star Dante Moore began 2023 as the starter but was eventually replaced midseason as the coaching staff sought steadier hands. These examples highlight a tough truth in college football. That freshman quarterbacks often need time to adjust to the speed, complexity, and physicality of top-tier competition. And he won’t be apprenticing behind a veteran this season, unlike some of Michigan’s prized recruits from the past, so the stakes couldn’t be higher.

On top of that, the road ahead is no cakewalk. Michigan’s 2025 schedule will push Underwood quickly into the fire with six true road games and tough matchups. That includes an early trip to Oklahoma and Big Ten contests against Nebraska. And later, Ohio State in the season finale. While the opening game against New Mexico might provide a softer landing with a team picked to finish near the bottom of their conference. But the weeks that follow will test every facet of Underwood’s game and growth.