Connor Stalions Makes Major Bryce Underwood Claim After Strong Warning to Brent Venables’ Oklahoma

Michigan, led by Sherrone Moore, cruised past the New Mexico Lobos 34-17, showcasing a dominant passing game by true freshman QB Bryce Underwood. Underwood’s 251 passing yards signaled a dynamic offense for Moore this year. Whereas a dominant 159-yard performance by Justice Haynes maintained Michigan’s capability to control the game offensively. So, that performance, along with Michigan’s elite D-line, is one of the biggest factors why former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions has predicted Underwood’s NFL draft fate already.

Connor Stalions’ college football might have been tainted now after the NCAA gave him an 8-year show-cause order, following Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal. But ever since getting fired by Michigan, Stalions quickly found himself a new role as an offensive coordinator at Belleville High School, the same school Bryce Underwood has come from. So, the duo’s relationship goes way back, with Stalions reportedly playing a significant role in Underwood’s LSU flip. And now that Underwood has finally started for Michigan, Connor Stalions has compared him to former Michigan QB, J.J. McCarthy.

Connor Stalions appeared as a guest on the ‘Locked on Wolverines’ podcast, discussing Michigan’s offensive setup along with things from which the true freshman QB can benefit. Moreover, the former Michigan defensive analyst also predicted that Underwood to be better in some ways than McCarthy. “Bryce does extend plays, and he is a threat with his athleticism, but I think he wants to be in the pocket a little more than JJ does,” said Stalions. Not just that, Stalions also declared Underwood to be better than what J.J. McCarthy was in his sophomore year, and predicted the $12 million QB to command a solid draft spot.

“From a preparedness standpoint, I do think that Bryce right now is kind of where JJ was, as I’d say going into his sophomore year. From a talent level, I mean, they’re both up there, right? I don’t want to speak too soon, but I’d be shocked if Bryce wasn’t also a top 10 pick in, you know, in a few years,” declared Stalions. J.J. McCarthy, of course, was a talented player in just his sophomore year, and if that talent is there in Bryce Underwood, it may signal a natty for Michigan in the coming years.

McCarthy, in his sophomore year, passed for 2,719 yards and 306 rushing yards and was pivotal with a 72.3% completion rate in 2023 to lead Michigan to its national title in 2023. As for Bryce Underwood, we saw the QB show remarkable composure for a true freshman, delivering in high-pressure situations. His throws have both accuracy and velocity, as we saw when he threw a 27-yard, tear-drop pass to tight end Marlin Klein. Despite that, some issues may create problems for Underwood, especially against Oklahoma.

Michigan has an inherent advantage against Oklahoma, as per Connor Stalions

Despite a dominant showing by Michigan, Underwood’s passes were either underthrown or overthrown, and the QB also missed open windows. For instance, Underwood went 1-for-5 as the game progressed after starting with a dominant 6-for-7 passing attempts. Despite that, courtesy of Bryce Underwood’s passing, Michigan’s pass rate jumped up to 10.3% from a below-average 8.1% last year. However, his zero rush attempts against the Lobos must improve, as Oklahoma will come with intense pressure from the D-line. That said, Stalions still provided the reason why Michigan will beat Oklahoma.

Connor Stalions predicted that Michigan’s defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, would deploy pre-snap disguised coverages that Mateer didn’t face against Illinois State. “I think Bryce and JJ benefit more from Michigan’s defense in camp than they do in actual games against other teams because the scheme is an NFL system, and you’re going to see that. I feel confident they’ll clean up the mistakes. And I’m not saying Oklahoma’s not going to score, but if I’m a betting man, I would take the under,” said Connor Stalions. Despite the Stalions’ projection, the Oklahoma game won’t be easy by any means!!

Oklahoma’s offense, led by the new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer, featured one of the fastest-paced offenses in the country. For context, the duo’s offense ranked 27th nationally last year, with every play coming in under 23.6 seconds. That said, Mateer’s 31.4% sack rate from last year is a concern, and Michigan could benefit from an elite D-line coached by Todd Bates and players like Jaishawn Barham.