During his time at Ann Arbor, Biff Poggi had to step in to lead the team in the head coach’s absence. That also gave him a close access to Bryce Underwood’s development as a freshman QB. Ahead of the 2026 campaign, the former Michigan assistant coach is full of praise for the sophomore QB.
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“[I got] to understand him [Underwood] a lot better when I became the head coach at Michigan because you’re just interacting with the quarterback more often when you’re the head coach,” Biff Poggi told the Big Ten Network on September 2. “He’s a really bright kid. He wants to be great and has all the skills. He can throw it a mile from any different arm angle. And he works really, really hard. I think the big thing to watch this year is what they are teaching him about letting the game come to him.”
“Oftentimes last year, he tried to push too many plays, which turned into some mistakes, which wound up being somewhat costly. But he also needs coherent, consistent quarterback coaching. Last year, in his defense, we had more than a couple of guys in his ear. And I think that Kyle’s not going to do that this year. I think he will have an improvement throwing the football and take care of the ball.”
Since leaving Michigan after the 2025 season, Poggi has joined the Big Ten Network as a studio analyst. He will appear on the network’s coverage on shows like The B1G Show, B1G Today, and B1G Countdown to Kickoff. In Poggi, the network also has the perfect person to analyze what went wrong with Underwood in his freshman year at Ann Arbor.
Underwood came to the program amid much fanfare on a huge NIL deal after flipping from LSU. He became the program’s fourth true freshman in its history to start at QB. But from early on, it showed that Underwood still needs time to adapt to college football.
Over the whole campaign, Underwood threw for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while rushing for 392 yards and six touchdowns. Michigan went on to have a nine-win season, which seems remarkable considering the off-field disruption that the program was going through.
From Underwood’s developmental perspective, Moore didn’t do a good job with the freshman QB. Michigan did not have a dedicated QB coach to work with him during the season. With no position coach to break down game film with him daily or police his mechanics, a lot of his bad techniques went uncorrected and were heavily exposed. As a result, Underwood frequently threw off his back foot or drifted backward instead of stepping into the pocket.
Michigan’s offensive line was also in a massive rebuilding phase. Opponents pressured Underwood on 31.8% of his dropbacks. For an 18-year-old true freshman, navigating such immediate heat was incredibly difficult.
Morever, the 2025 offense wasn’t designed to ease a young quarterback into college football. The scheme demanded complex, deep-field progressions instead of run-play action or designed rollouts to simplify reads. Because Underwood couldn’t read the defenses fast enough, he would panic, either forcing dangerous passes or rushing immediately to his check-downs.
But things have changed under Kyle Whittingham.
Michigan’s coaching staff spent fall camp addressing Bryce Underwood’s shortcomings
After a chaotic 2025 true freshman season, Poggi openly lamented that Underwood “got very little in the way of coaching” under the previous regime. Fortunately, Michigan recognized this structural failure. Ahead of the 2026 season, the university hired veteran head coach Kyle Whittingham, brought in Jason Beck as offensive coordinator, and hired Koy Detmer Jr. specifically to coach the quarterbacks.
They prioritized correcting Underwood’s developmental flaws. Coaches report that Underwood’s footwork, pocket presence, and decision-making are much better as they head into the new season.
It followed a shaky spring performance in which Underwood’s passes sailed because he frequently uncorked throws while leaning onto his back foot. Instead of forcing him into a complex pro-style passing game, Beck tailored a quarterback-friendly, high-tempo system for Underwood.
Under the previous staff, Michigan was highly reluctant to use Underwood as a runner. Head coach Whittingham and Beck are leaning directly into his mobility. They are making designed quarterback rushes, a core component of the game plan.