While finishing the 2025 season with 2,428 passing yards, Bryce Underwood flashed elite raw talent, but the QB faced the typical challenges of a freshman. The drops didn’t help him, and even Michigan’s O-line had an inconsistent campaign. For next season, ex-Michigan and first-team All-American QB Denard Robinson suggests a path.

“He is gonna have to learn how to take care of his body if he is going to feature in the run game,” said Robinson during his Monday appearance on The Blue Print podcast. “I said, this last year, I said they need to make sure he gets 10 runs a game because I think this is what’s going to make him settle down in the game, make the throws that he needs to make, and have confidence [that] these guys can’t play on the same level as me.”

“I think that helps a quarterback that can run. It helps you settle down a little bit, especially if the throwing is not happening the way you wanted it. And so I tell people all the time that would be like the go-to for me,” added Robinson, who remains Michigan’s all-time leader in total TDs (91) and finished sixth in the 2010 Heisman Race.

Last season, Underwood had 88 rushing attempts, in which he accumulated 392 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Interestingly, all his touchdowns came in Michigan wins. The freshman QB had his best ground performance in a September game against Central Michigan, when he ran for 114 yards. Even the 61 yards on eight carries against Nebraska were extremely crucial.

“Like if I wasn’t, if I kind of missed my first three throws, I’d be like, ‘Hey coach, make two runs for me.’ So I could get 10 yards or get 15 yards, so I can get that confidence, and then now I’m throwing the ball how I want to throw the ball. And I think that’s a lot of things that people don’t realize with a dual-threat quarterback,” said the ex-Michigan star.

“Sometimes if the arm is not working, I think when you have two running backs like he (Underwood) has, you could make the quarterback run game very special, and you could see a lot of runners come down just because of that reason, because he has two running backs that can ultimately play in the NFL and get drafted.”

We also saw how Underwood had to carry a bigger load in the running game after Justice Haynes was ruled out due to injury. With Haynes, the QB1 was averaging around 5 carries per game. That increased to 9 carries per game. In the Citrus Bowl, the number rose to 14 carries. That took away the surprise element that Haynes’ presence provided to Underwood. He could no longer do opportunistic scrambles.

In that context, pairing Underwood’s mobility with two highly physical RBs, Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter, could give Michigan one of the most unpredictable RPO offenses in the B1G. Even the Wolverines’ 2026 system is designed to unlock Bryce Underwood’s dual-threat identity. New head coach Kyle Whittingham brought in OC Jason Beck, who helped QB Devon Dampier record nearly 2,000 rushing yards.

There’s no doubt about Bryce Underwood’s capability

Bryce Underwood possesses a rare Cam Newton-like build, standing at 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds. With that, the Michigan QB is physically built to handle B1G contact without getting injured, believes the new coaching staff.

“The offense we’re going to bring in here, I think, is going to suit him to a ‘T,’ and I think he’s going to really, really excel and have a great experience here. Bryce, we think he can beat you from the pocket or with his legs,” said Kyle Whittingham.

Even the head coach believed the QB’s struggles in his freshman season stemmed from the Wolverines not having a dedicated, elite QB coach tailored to Underwood’s development.

“It was very obvious that Bryce is a mega-talent. He’s got so much ability, but he’s raw—as you would expect an 18-year-old starting quarterback at a Power 4 school to be. He was not a completely finished product, and that’s our job now to turn him into that.”

Now, Michigan could see huge production with Underwood if they design more run plays utilizing his legs.