Michigan National Champion Talks QB Competition, Why Bryce Underwood Can Flourish

It wasn't quite the start former five-star QB, and No. 1 ranked player, Bryce Underwood had envisioned having. Underwood struggled with accuracy and finding his footing in Year 1 with Michigan. He threw for 2,428 yards (60.3%), with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Wolverines signed former Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene to come in and compete against Underwood last spring. But Keene, who suffered an injury, didn't fully heal and Underwood was handed the job — along with No. 1 ranked player money.

Former Michigan national champion Chris Howard recently broke down Underwood's season, along with some added competition to the room on 'The Breakdown' a part of Hail Media!.

"Given how things unfolded with the firing of Sherron Moore, it's actually a good thing the Underwood family did secure the bag because that staff did Bryce no favors in helping him develop as a premier quarterback or helping him get to the next level," Howard said. "No offensive creativity. And if the rumors are true that he had no quarterback coach, that is just crazy.

"Bryce wasn't developed. He wasn't sharpened. He wasn't protected. Couple that with the fact that he had a head coach more interested in being a fan of his instead of actually being a head coach makes me even more happy that he got paid what he got paid. But it also speaks volumes to the lack of development and lack of competitive push. No real threat. The job was his, but now it's his to lose."

Iron sharpens iron

Michigan QB Bryce Underwood — Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

With Howard believing that Underwood didn't have any real threats to take his job last year, the former Michigan tailback believes the staff did the right thing by going out and landing a pair of talented transfers. Former Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has thrown for over 3,000 yards once in his career and was a steady starter, while LSU transfer Colin Hurley is raw, but talented.

Each program that is great year in and year out recruits the QB position at a high level, and that's something Michigan needs to do on a yearly basis. Bringing in at least one high-level QB prospect each season will only make the room better.

"That's why this new staff got it right," Howard said of the new QB transfers. "They didn't go to the portal for depth. They went to the portal for competition. Colin Hurley from LSU, the kid from Colorado State [Fowler-Nicolosi]. And let me be clear. I'm not saying these guys are elite or even capable of taking Bryce's job, but they shouldn't come here thinking that they can't.

"Bryce should treat it as if they can't because the best quarterback rooms are competitive rooms. And here's the part that people keep missing. Not all competition is equal. The level of competition matters and it drives the intensity of your program. Look at the other elite programs, other schools that groom elite backups behind their veterans.

"Schools like Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State. I hate to say it, but Ohio State, Oregon, what do they all have in common? They don't recruit a quarterback. They recruit quarterbacks, high-end guys, every cycle, sometimes two in a class, five stars, four stars, portal guys, future starters sitting behind future starters. Why? Again, I sound like a broken record, but iron sharpens iron at the high level."

Why Underwood can flourish in 2026

Despite the up-and-down 2025 season, 2026 should be much better for Underwood. The main reason is coaching. It does sound like he never had a dedicated QB coach, and the Wolverines' offense didn't do Underwood much justice.

Entering 2026, Underwood will have a dedicated QB coach and Jason Beck runs a system that Underwood should excel in — ask Devon Dampier. Underwood can flash with his arm and his legs, utilizing the best of both worlds.

"Now, here's the good news," began Howard. "For the first time since Bryce arrived at Michigan, I actually believe he's going to have all the tools necessary to become the player we've been told he can be. And I believe he can. Not just talent, not just hype, but structure. He's going to have a dedicated quarterback coach. The quarterback position isn't a position you just figure out. It's footwork. It's timing. It's discipline. It's situational awareness. It's understanding why a read works, not just make the throw. Bryce didn't have that before. Shockingly, I know. He didn't have that before. Now he does.

"On top of that, he's going to have an offense coordinator who knows how to build an offense around his quarterback, not force the quarterback into a rigid system. Jason Beck's offense is tailor-made for a player like Bryce Underwood. It allows him to play fast, use his athleticism, attack the field horizontally and vertically, grow as a decision maker without shrinking his instincts.

"This isn't about limiting Bryce. This is about unlocking him, putting him in situations where his gifts show up naturally, not asking him to be something he's not. Now, maybe Bryce isn't competing against the most stacked, most elite quarterback roomin the country, but make no mistake. He is competing. He's competing against the national landscape, against narratives, against expectations. People are talking. People are questioning. People are watching. And that kind of pressure, that's real too.

"And here's why I believe Bryce will flourish. Because when you combine real competition, real coaching, a system that fits a quarterback with elite tools, that's when growth actually happens. Not overnight, not perfectly, but authentically."

See Howard's full comments below on Hail Media!'s YouTube page.

— Sign up for the Michigan Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage fromMichigan Wolverines on SI —