Kyle Whittingham Describes 'Tough Situation' That Faced Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

The Wolverines head coach has faith in Underwood moving forward.

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Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood had high expectations when he entered campus last season as a true freshman. Underwood was tabbed as the No. 1-rated prospect in the 2025 recruiting ranks and the Belleville prospect flipped from LSU to become the hometown hero in Ann Arbor.

But Underwood and Michigan were underwhelming last season in Sherrone Moore's final season as the head coach. The talent and ceiling Underwood possessed were obvious, but the development was a concern as Underwood made the same mistakes over and over, like throwing off his back foot.

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However, new head coach Kyle Whittingham is confident that Underwood is going to right the ship in Year 2 and under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Appearing on The Blue Print with former All-American tight end Jake Butt, Whittingham discussed the tough situation Underwood was thrust into last year.

“First of all, Bryce was thrown into a pretty tough situation last fall," Whittingham said. "You know, a true freshman, 18 years old, starting quarterback, not only a P4 program, but Michigan. I mean, that's, you know, you're under the spotlight.

"Also didn't have a dedicated quarterback coach last year, from what I was told. And so he was a little rough around the edges, still is a little bit. But we had — you talk about spring ball, but long before that, January, February, we're in the film room and talking him through mechanics and footwork and read progressions and all that.”

Evolving the offense to what suits Underwood

Earlier this spring, Beck spoke about using Underwood's legs to allow him to become the weapon he is. Last year, Sherrone Moore and Chip Lindsey held Underwood back and didn't allow him to utilize all of his strengths.

Outside of running the football, Whittingham and Beck have been working with Underwood on his mechanics and seeing the entire field. While the spring might not have shown the full development of Underwood, Whittingham believes the 14 practices prior, Underwood is coming along just fine.

There is still work to be made, and Michigan wants to evolve the offense to what Underwood does best.

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“Continued through spring, he has made progress," said Whittingham. "Still got a long ways to go, but he's on the right path. It'll be very important this summer that he continues to work. And one thing about Bryce, he's got a great work ethic. There's no worry about him putting in the time. He's gonna put in all the time he needs and he's completely dedicated to his craft.

"And so we're still finding out, we got a really good, much better, clear picture through spring about what he does well, what suits him, what aspects of the offense are his strong suits. And we'll start to gravitate towards that as we move closer to the season. We expose him to everything this spring. But again, we got to know him a lot better and we'll continue to move and evolve the offense in a direction that really suits what he does best.”