Comparing Devon Dampier to Bryce Underwood: Will Michigan Actually Run Its QB?

It's clear there were two completely different strategies in 2025 regarding the two playmakers.

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Jason Beck enters his first season as the offensive coordinator at Michigan. And while he doesn't have years of experience as a coordinator, he does have proven production. Beck's offenses have been toward the top of the college football landscape in each of the past two seasons.

In back-to-back seasons, his rushing attack was ranked No. 2 in the nation. In 2024, at New Mexico, and in 2025 with Utah, the rushing attack was prolific, and a lot had to do with his quarterback.

Devon Dampier was with Beck at New Mexico two seasons ago, and he led the Lobos in rushing, running for 1,166 yards and 19 scores. Last season, Dampier was second on the team, running for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Now, Beck heads to Ann Arbor where he will coach former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Are Dampier and Underwood similar?

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Bryce Underwood is certainly a bigger quarterback (6'4") compared to Dampier (5'11"). But the two have similar skill sets in that both are athletic and can extend plays with their legs. Kyle Whittingham recently spoke about using Underwood's legs to extend plays this season and getting him outside of the pocket.

However, the Wolverines didn't utilize Underwood's skill set all that well in 2025. Sherrone Moore didn't believe in running the quarterback, since he didn't feel like he had a capable backup. But Beck has been vocal in saying he wants to use Underwood's legs as a weapon.

"Similar in they're both athletic. They can use their feet as part of the run game to be a threat to the defense," Beck said of Underwood and Dampier. "Different in that every quarterback has their own strengths, their own weaknesses, how they do things. But Bryce is a big, physical kid. Devon was more quick, make you miss. But they're both just a threat.

"They can pull it. They can create. Things are breaking down. Things are covered. They can extend plays. So working scramble drill and the rules there when the quarterback gets in the scramble drill to get open is a big part of success we had with Devon and a big part of what we're working on developing when things happen, all the scramble drill rules. So there's a lot of similarities run game-wise. Scramble drill, creating, extending plays-wise. And then there are a lot of differences as well."

The big development for Dampier under Beck was his surge in the passing game from Year 1 to Year 2 in Beck's offense. Dampier threw for 2,768 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, to throwing for 2,490 passing yards, but had 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

Michigan fans would be ecstatic if Underwood's touchdown numbers went way up and he cut his interception numbers in half in 2026 under Beck.

Beck's plans on using Underwood this season

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In the two seasons that Dampier was with Beck, he ran the ball 155 times in 2024 and 146 times in 2025. Last season, Underwood ran the football 88 times.

Underwood is more of a pocket passer than what Dampier is, but it's clear the Wolverines plan on running Underwood more in 2026. But just how much more? Beck said on Wednesday that there is a balance, and it will be dictated by who the opponent is and the scheme.

"No there's a balance of how much you do it, who you're playing, what the scheme is," Beck said of running the quarterback. "You know the approach that way — so yeah, there's a lot that goes into kind of being smart about that. The quarterback can easily end up with the ball a lot just scrambling and this and that. So we want to be smart at that and be able to control that."

By using Underwood's legs more in 2026, it will give Michigan a new wrinkle — in a new-look offense. Defenses have tape on Underwood from last season, and while they know he can tuck the ball and run, it will take seeing it for them to believe it.