Well, when asked about the most thrilling scenario in the 2024 season, many fans might agree on a common answer. That’s the big chase for the No.1 quarterback recruit, Bryce Underwood. The 17-year-old had become a hot favorite and had kept his gates open even after being committed to Brian Kelly’s LSU. As Sherrone Moore replaced Jim Harbaugh, he jumped into the race to hunt him down. And as planned, they brought him to Ann Arbor with a NIL deal worth $10.5 million. So, this indeed has been a costly risk. Now, can Underwood live up to the hype? Being a Michigan quarterback, his standard is the OG, GOAT, Tom Brady. While an analyst comes with a Brady-Underwood comparison, Moore lands in the hot seat. Courtesy? He gets banned from two games. But turns out that there is a lot more behind this move. 

The big question that looms in Ann Arbor: Did Moore and Co. pay $10.5 million for a benchwarmer? Following their 2023 national championship season led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, things took a topsy-turvy turn for Michigan. They cycled through three different starters, bouncing from Davis Warren to Alex Orji to Jack Tuttle. As they proceeded with Warren, Moore’s squad faced issues connecting on several deep balls.. Post which Tuttle retired, and Orji swapped to UNLV. Meanwhile, Warren’s return is uncertain after suffering an ACL injury in the ReliaQuest Bowl. In his first live snaps at Michigan Stadium in front of a crowd, Underwood completed 12 of 26 passes for 187 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. In that case, there are chances for Moore to count on the 17-year-old.

As the head coach shared, “We talk about the offensive line running the team, well somebody’s got to lead it. You’ll know at some point who that person is.” But so what? Former Cleveland Browns star is already counting on Moore’s hottest recruit. On the May 5 episode of the 247 Sports podcast, host Emily Proud had one question for co-host Gerald V. Dixon. She asked, “Who is the first season starter who is going to make the biggest impact?” The former NFL legend did not take even a moment to share his take. “I am going to start with my guy, the left-handed or the right-handed version of Bryce Underwood. It’s really simple. The way he is going to impact Michigan is like no other quarterback.” 

Underwood is credited with 12,919 all-purpose yards, including 11,488 passing yards and 179 total touchdowns (152 passing) during his career as a four-year starter. Dixon continued, “I know people, everybody’s gonna come at me like ‘What about Tom Brady?’ Tom Brady was a good player in college. I think Bryce Underwood is very much so impactful player.” Standing tall at 6 feet 4, he flashed his legs, too, breaking off a 17-yard carry in the fourth quarter of the spring games that helped move the chains. And what about Underwood’s arms? Secondary coach LaMar Morgan shared, “The arm talent is as good as advertised.” Now, will this Underwood-Brady comp make Moore’s seat any less hot?

NCAA probe clouds Sherrone Moore’s momentum

Already, Moore’s quarterback looks up to Tom Brady as his idol. After all, the 7x Super Bowl winner FaceTimed Underwood, which came off as one of the sweetest surprises in his life. Soon, the initial shock wore off, and the conversation took a more meaningful turn. Brady, a Michigan legend who led the Wolverines to an Orange Bowl championship in 2000, had a clear message for the young quarterback. As Moore’s quarterback recalled, “He was just telling me how excited I was for my future, honestly, so it was just a blessing to have him on the phone, one of the greatest of all time.”

Just when Moore might have been celebrating the hype of his quarterback, he landed in a big hoopla, bringing up some bitter memories for Wolverines fans. On October 19, 2023, Michigan got in a tight spot for an alleged sign-stealing. It involved Connor Stalions, who was accused of attending games featuring Michigan’s future opponents. But as per the latest updates, Michigan is suspending Moore for two games this upcoming season. Which are the two games? Their Week 3 face-off against Central Michigan and their Week 4 Big Ten opener against Nebraska. But what makes Sherrone Moore face such dire circumstances? The Michigan head coach is accused of deleting 52 text messages with Stalions around the time of the initial investigation.

Now this is something that is against the NCAA rules. And guess what? Only serving a two-game suspension might not be enough. As Michigan insider Sam Webb shared that it depends on the NCAA. “If the NCAA are to come back…and they say, ‘Nah, this doesn’t sound suitable. This is not sufficient. We are thinking something along the lines, something more severe.’ Well, then this self-imposed punishment that maybe Michigan is discussing internally, now they will start to talk different… it may not be two games.” Sherrone Moore’s clean-up act begins—can he shake off the stain?