'I'm buying a ton of Michigan': CFP analyst bullish on Wolverines' future stock

Few programs stacked wins on both the football field and the recruiting trail like Michigan did over the past three months.

It started with the Wolverines' flip of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU, followed by on-field wins over Northwestern, Ohio State and Alabama, and culminated in Michigan signing the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle.

With all that positive momentum built in Ann Arbor, CBS Sports' college football podcaster Josh Pate is bullish on the Wolverines' future, particularly with Underwood at quarterback.

"Michigan's surging. I would buy a lot of Michigan [stock] right now," Pate said in a recent episode of Josh Pate's College Football Show. "I am very much operating on the assumption that them flipping Bryce Underwood from LSU is one of the biggest things to happen to this program in the history of the program."

Pate related the moment the Wolverines' flipped Underwood to one that could hypothetically be pointed to in a future documentary regarding Michigan Football, if the program were to go on another successful run like the one it enjoyed from 2021-23.

"If you think about the impact this could have on that program...We have seen time and time again what getting a generational player...at the quarterback position into your program means," Pate said. "Now, we've got to find out if he's a generational player. I want to be very careful there. That word should almost never be used. If he is one, and Michigan just did that, think about how they could talk about that down the road."

Underwood isn't the full story, however.

Michigan went on to sign five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola and flip a trio of high four-star talents in defensive lineman Nate Marshall (Auburn), defensive back Jordan Young (Clemson) and offensive lineman Ty Haywood (Alabama). When the dust settled, the Wolverines' class finished with 17 blue-chip prospects (five or four-star players), the most they've signed since 2017.

CBS Sports' Josh Pate buying stock in Michigan Football, after Wolverines flip quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU — Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore smiles while joking with a defensive coach against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half of the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The influx of fresh talent will pay dividends for Michigan for years to come, and pairing that with a potential difference-maker like Underwood at quarterback could have the Wolverines' competing for championships again in the immediate future.

"If you consider the kind of talent that kid has, and you consider when they flipped him — remember what the energy was around that program? The season felt kind of dead in the water, and then they flip Bryce Underwood. Just huge. That's the No. 1 player in the country. They finished with the No. 6 class in the country, they go on to beat Ohio State and Alabama to end the year," Pate said.

"I'm buying a ton of Michigan [stock]. I'm buying the direction of that team and that program right now."

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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