After a disheartening debut, Bryce Underwood might be up for a big change. In 2025, the then-rookie couldn’t quite justify his recruiting and preseason hype as the Michigan Wolverines’ star quarterback. While some of it came down to the absence of a QB coach, Brian Kelly believes he understands Underwood better.
Kelly might enter another act of his coaching career with Rutgers. Though nothing’s decided yet, fans have reasons to believe that the Scarlet Knights need Kelly’s experience as Greg Schiano isn’t improving much. If Kelly takes over, an overhaul is imminent and could include bringing in a quarterback, especially with his adoration for Underwood.
“He is big, physical, strong, and fast, and he’s tough,” the 64-year-old said on College Sports on SiriusXM. “So look, I’m not laying the blame anywhere, but I know this, I know his skill set. And to sit back in the pocket and go through progression reads- that’s not him.”
The former LSU coach made his statement when talking to Danny Kanell and Roy Philpott on September 11. After Kelly shared his opinion on the 19-year-old quarterback, the Big Ten Huddle podcast made three predictions:
- Greg Schiano gets fired.
- Brian Kelly takes the Rutgers job.
- Bryce Underwood transfers to Rutgers
This prediction of Kelly’s career trajectory comes after he was fired mid-season in October 2025.
In 2021, LSU lured him away from Notre Dame with a ten-year contract worth $95 million. Initially, everything looked promising. The Tigers won ten games in his first two seasons. However, as the defense crumbled and Kelly couldn’t fix it, he was shown the door after a 5-3 start last year.
Kelly’s last coaching stint ended with a 34-14 record at LSU, but he is well acquainted with Underwood. After all, he committed to Kelly in 2024 before flipping to the Wolverines. He was associated with LSU for the same time he has been in Ann Arbor.
Michigan’s controversial Week 1 victory against Western Michigan showed that Underwood is still struggling like he did last season, despite the QB recording a passing and a rushing touchdown.
When Kyle Whittingham took over from Sherrone Moore and his staff, he said that Underwood was set for systemic failure under Moore’s neglect.
“First of all, Bryce was thrown into a pretty tough situation last fall,” Whittingham said on May 3. “A true freshman, 18 years old, starting quarterback, not only a P4 program, but Michigan. Also didn’t have a dedicated quarterback coach last year, from what I was told.”
In his first season with the Wolverines, Underwood threw for 2,428 passing yards and scored 11 passing touchdowns.
“Honestly, it was a lot I had to take on by myself,” he said in an interview for Wood TV. “But it’s okay. So it really got me to understand what I need.”
This year, though, Underwood has a dedicated QB coach and familiarity with the structure. The difference in these two situations is also the new offensive coordinator: Jason Beck.
Brian Kelly on Michigan offense going into 2026
Kelly, who has been keenly observing his former commit, has a message specifically for Beck and head coach Kyle Whittingham. Though he maintains that he’s not targeting anyone, the recipient of the message is the team offense after all
“What can make the best of this team and you?” he added. “And that is, we’ve gotta make some changes in the way we run our offense with you. And if you don’t wanna run the ball, then you’re right. Everybody is up for evaluation as to who the next quarterback is.”
Kelly hasn’t shut the door on going back to the sidelines yet. Schiano’s 99-110 record at Rutgers is demanding a fix. Currently, he holds a 31-43 record in his second tenure leading the Scarlet Knights. While it may need some time, a Kelly-Underwood partnership might be in everyone’s favor.