After watching their championship dreams dashed last year behind shaky quarterback play, Sherrone Moore isn’t taking any chances this year. As he went all in to grab 5-star phenom Bryce Underwood, snatching him from LSU to finally solidify the offense and power a playoff run. And the hype? It’s justified. Underwood’s sharp pocket presence and ability to run drives with his legs can electrify the Wolverines’ attack. But if Moore doesn’t fix a glaring flaw of their offensive line, things can turn ugly fast. Then even Underwood’s talent won’t matter under constant pressure.

Well, after winning back-to-back Joe Moore Awards for the nation’s best offensive line, Michigan crumbled last season. Losing their key players like Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan showed up in their performance. As they faced challenges, particularly in pass protection and run blocking. The result? They finished 130th in passing yards per game out of 134 FBS schools. So, now you can understand why they need to improve their offensive line. Even Michigan’s insider, Sam Webb, highlights the same in conversation with Bud Elliot. “If you are a Michigan fan, you have to be concerned with Bryce Underwood,” Webb said on the Cover 3 podcast.

Look, replacing a guy like J.J. McCarthy with a 72.3% completion percentage and nearly 3000 passing yards and a 22-4 interception is sure hard to do. But what happened last season still gives nightmares to all Michigan fans. “Things were so bad offensively from the quarterback—this is not to denigrate or disparage the individual guys last year—but things were so bad from a performance perspective last year, and Bryce is so immensely talented, it’s like everything he does is going to look fantastic, right? It’s like, Oh my god, he looks—he’s going to look like Cam Newton, you know, with everything he does,” Webb added.

Remember Michigan’s game against Texas? That’s where their offensive line woes truly hit bottom, particularly at right tackle. Evan Link surrendered a shocking 10 pressures in that game alone, bringing his season total to 12—the highest among all FBS offensive linemen. To make matters worse, he’s one of only two linemen nationally with a 0.0 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. At a program like Michigan, with its long-standing tradition of elite offensive line play, that’s simply unacceptable.

That’s exactly why Sam Webb is stressing more on improving Michigan’s offensive line if they want to see Bryce Underwood shine. “And so I think that there are—there are the pieces around him that, to me, frankly, are going to have to be really good for them to be—or have to be better than they were for them to be as good as they need to be. The offensive line being among them. I know we’re going to talk about him, but that’s—that’s my concern,” Webb said. Look, the team does have key returning players like Gerg Crippen, Giovanni El-Hadi, and Evan Link, but consistency is all that matters.

But despite a promising unit, the pressure is still pretty high on Bryce Underwood.

Sherrone Moore’s QB1 dilemma

Michigan’s leaving nothing to chance this season. As the Bryce Underwood era dawns, Sherrone Moore is ensuring comprehensive quarterback depth. His move? Adding veteran Jake Garcia bolsters a promising but inexperienced room. With Davis Warren recovering from an ACL tear and Mikey Keene returning from a shoulder injury, Garcia’s arrival couldn’t come at a better time.

Now, even with all the hype surrounding Underwood, like drawing comparisons to Cam Newton and Vince Young, Michigan won’t rush him without ensuring an experienced QB room. As ESPN’s Jake Trotter said, “With all of that comes immense expectations. The Wolverines brought in veteran Mikey Keene from Fresno State to serve as a bridge quarterback. But ultimately, the onus is going to fall on Underwood to prove he’s worth the hype and money.” Still, you can’t totally rely on a true freshman without any backups aligned. And that’s where Garcia, with his 649 career snaps, gives Michigan a veteran backing to Sherrone Moore’s team.

Jake Garcia’s journey to Ann Arbor has been anything but straightforward. He’s moved from Miami to Missouri to East Carolina, searching for the right fit. His ECU start was promising but short-lived, with 12 interceptions in six games. It’s not a perfect record, but experience counts. As the saying goes, you can’t teach experience, and Garcia has enough to be valuable on a team where others lack game experience.

Michigan’s early schedule is brutal, including road games at Oklahoma and Nebraska in September. They need a strong start, so they’re preparing for any scenario. Regardless of Underwood’s immediate success, Sherrone Moore now has the quarterback depth to manage challenges.