Kyle Whittingham’s arrival at Ann Arbor brought about a cultural shift. The biggest benefactor of this change has to be the starting quarterback, Bryce Underwood. The sophomore had no dedicated position coach during his freshman season, while Whittingham hired one in 2026 to maximize Underwood’s capability. His belief in Underwood now pushed the head coach to make a major decision, breaking one of Michigan’s long-standing traditions.

Michigan Football made a big announcement this week regarding its July Big Ten Media Day, which will continue from the 28th to the 30th of July at the Hilton Chicago, as reported by the Detroit Free Press on June 24. The school named three returning starters to represent Michigan on that 3-day event.

Those ambassadors include Underwood, along with DT Trey Pierce and RB Jordan Marshall. Selecting the sophomore QB along with the junior running back ends a Wolverines’ tradition of only picking seniors for the conference media day. However, Kyle Whittingham has a reason behind choosing the QB.

“I believe if you’re one of the best leaders, why should you be punished because you’re not a senior? And so it’s a team vote, not my vote. We let the team decide. We have two leadership factions, the captains and leadership council, and then their peers,” said the Michigan head coach to Free Press in June.

These three also served as captains in spring practice of 2026 and showed immense potential last season. Given that, their selection is no surprise. However, Underwood is the exception in the tradition, which continued from 2015 to 2025. While previous Michigan head coaches (Sherrone Moore and Jim Harbaugh) prioritized seniority, Whittingham prioritizes leadership, regardless of players’ ages.

Bryce Underwood has shown leadership since his debut season with the Wolverines. Whittingham spoke about that in his introductory presser, saying, “He has performed very well in the workouts, and not only with his athleticism but also leadership-wise. So he’s a guy that everyone looks to.”

That leading quality allows the sophomore QB to become an ambassador among 54 selected players who face the media in July 2026. For Bryce Underwood, this is the first time he will face the conference media, and for Michigan, this is the 2nd time they’ve sent a QB over senior OTs or defensive talents, given last time they sent in 2022 QB Cade McNamara.

In 2025, Underwood struggled in making scores, but he recorded 2,428 yards without a QB coach. Despite that, there are still doubters who put Underwood’s ability into question. “Mark my words, don’t be surprised if the backups are playing early. I don’t think Bryce Underwood can throw or play quarterback,” stated Eric Weddle earlier this month.

The QB knows his mistakes, which he made in 2025, and on the flip side, the new Michigan head coach brought in QB coach Koy Detmer Jr. to fix those areas where Underwood lacked. So, improvement of the QB is a must, and Kyle Whittingham feels his growth.

Bryce Underwood gains trust of new staff

“It’s important we get him [Bryce Underwood] playing to his potential,” said Kyle Whittingham this week, as reported by Free Press. “He’s got a ton of it, I can tell you that right now. His toolbox is absolutely incredible with his size and strength and speed. We’ve got to make sure we get him dialed in.”

In 2025, Underwood recorded nine interceptions, and most of them he made late in the season. But he showed brilliance in the game against Wisconsin, Central Michigan, and USC and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Undoubtedly, he has the ability to lead Michigan to its old glory. That’s where the head coach clarified his expectation.

“Obviously, the first order of business is to learn the new scheme. You know, we have a new scheme going in offensively. It’s not a sharp learning curve; it’s pretty user-friendly. But he’s got to get mastery of that. Once he has a mastery of that, which he’s on the right track for right now and doing a great job,” said Whittingham on the Crain & Company Podcast.

With the new OC, Jason Beck, Underwood has to learn the system and fix his errors. However, for the QB who faced media a few times last season, this B1G media day would be a big step up and a litmus test as to his preparation for the season ahead.