With No.1 quarterback recruit, Bryce Underwood in his arsenal, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore must be carrying some high hopes while stepping into the 2025 season. What adds to this enthusiasm is the burning fire of regret from 2024. Coming off as the defending champions, forget the Natty, Moore’s program even got snubbed in the Playoff race. So, the Michigan head coach must be living by the hope that things might turn in his favor in the upcoming season, having one of the biggest weapons. That’s when the harsh reality hit – not just Moore, but while Underwood is making the most use of his off-season, troubles are mounting for him too. 

The 2024 season showed Michigan fans one of the worst times. Losing the Natty and the playoffs are just one side of the story. The other side consisted of stooping low in the rankings. For instance, they finished with a 131-ranked passing offense and a 113th-ranked scoring offense. Moore might have just recovered from all this and started to arrange his blueprint for the next season. That’s when the transfer portal opened its window and his plans fell like a tower of Jenga to the transfer blows. The Wolverines lost 31 players to the portal. Some of the costly losses have been their undisputed WR1 from last season, Tyler Morris. Along with defensive lineman Kechaun Bennett, wide receiver and wideout Amorion Walker, and a bunch of others. 

So, now the only question that must be looming in the hearts of Wolverines’ fans is, how far can Moore and his boys go in the Natty race this season? This was taken up by Jim Dunaway and his co-host on the May 2 episode of The Next Round podcast. Veteran Dunaway predicted, “Michigan winning over eight and a half games this year.” However, his co-host could not agree with him on this point. He said, “I think I would play the under here.” The reason? Maybe the Wolverines’ 2025 schedule will be too hard to handle. While they struggled mostly throughout 2024, they dropped some bangers here and there. For instance, they defeated Ohio State before the Buckeyes lifted the trophy, and they defeated Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. But the 2025 road is going to be tough.

“They’ve got to go to Oklahoma in week two. I think that’s going to tell you a lot that is a fascinating game [in] week two. They’ve got to go to Nebraska, in week four, they’ve got to go to USC, and they’ve got Ohio State. So I think I would play the under.” Michigan’s 2025–26 schedule could make or break the new era in Ann Arbor. Not only will they play both of their rivals both home and away, but they will also travel to Purdue, Maryland, and Iowa – three really hostile environments. On the other hand, there comes some good news. Moore’s boys will have to take a trip to the West Coast twice, as Oregon and Washington’s dates might coincide. While this might bring respite, Moore’s quarterback might be having sleepless nights.   

Sherrone Moore’s big dilemma is mounting pressure on QB Bryce Underwood

Already, the transfer portal blows have shaken things up in Michigan. What further added to Michigan’s woes was Moore’s lack of clarity when it comes to the wide receivers room. Apparently, turned out that the head coach has learnt from his past mistakes. He has added well-built wide receivers who are in sync with his “physical” style of play in this transfer season. As Moore shared, “That was an emphasis for me. I wanted big receivers, and with him and Donaven McCulley and bringing in Jacob Washington, even Andrew Marsh — he’s not a small guy. He’s a long-limbed guy. I felt like we’d bring in really good size in that group to help us be more explosive in the passing game, and that’s what I wanted.”

For instance, Donaven McCulley, with a towering 6’5” stature and weighing 203lbs, ticks off all the boxes. But clouds of doubts start to gather when the question is about who will be receiver 2 in Sherrone Moore’s offense? Analyst Isaiah noted that it can be anybody’s call. The point is that the options are varied. It could be Fredrick Moore, Jamar Browder, Andrew Marsh, or Channing Goodwin. With this, Underwood is left at the edge. After all he he wouldn’t want a ‘wrong’ WR catching his passes. As of now, the quarterback is enjoying his free time in a unique way.

The 17-year-old has now become a common face on the sidelines of MLB games. Bryce Underwood made his way to Comerica Park on Sunday, April 27, to root for the Detroit Tigers. This came with a sweet bonus as he threw out the first pitch. Like MLB, he is a hardcore NBA fan. On May 1, Underwood went to support the $3.45 billion NBA giant, Detroit Pistons, in their face-off against the New York Knicks. Later on, the Pistons’ official IG page posted the quarterback’s picture with the caption, “Shoutout to @19bryce.__ for coming through tonight.” Maybe amidst all this fun, he is hoping that Sherrone Moore finds clarity, SOON.