Where Michigan QB Bryce Underwood Ranks Among College Football's Best Entering 2026

When stacked up against every quarterback in college football, it's interesting to see where Underwood was placed.

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As a true freshman, entering Michigan as the No. 1 rated player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Bryce Underwood had some highs and some lows a season ago. Underwood had some highlights, such as throwing nearly perfect en route to a Michigan win over Washington, where he threw for 230 yards and two scores.

But there were also games where he threw for 63 yards (Ohio State) and interceptions reared their ugly head — in games against both Northwestern and Texas. However, the ceiling is high for the rising sophomore and with new coaching, Underwood is expected to take a leap in 2026.

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Recently, national college analyst Bill Bender, with the Sporting News, ranked the top 25 quarterbacks in the country entering 2026. Underwood's ranking rose two spots from last season, and he is now ranked 23rd in the nation.

Where Underwood stacks up against his counterparts

Bender has three rising sophomores ranked in his top 25, and Underwood is the third of the three. BYU's Bear Bachmeier is ranked 20th after throwing for over 3,000 yards as a true freshman. He had a total of 26 touchdowns. And Cal's Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele is ranked 16th after throwing for nearly 3,500 yards last season.

It's hard to argue Underwood's talent, and he probably has the highest ceiling of the three quarterbacks, but this is a result-driven league and Underwood's results weren't nearly as good as either of those two a season ago.

Is this a fair ranking?

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In 2025, nationally, Underwood ranked 84th in the country, averaging just under 187 yards per game through the air. There was a lot that went wrong for Underwood last season, and not all of it was his fault. Coaching was a big issue and Sherrone Moore didn't give him a dedicated quarterbacks coach to work with.

However, entering 2026, Underwood needs to show results on the field. The coaching staff has been talking about how much he progressed throughout the spring.

"He progressed all through spring," said Whittingham following the spring game. "Some things that may not be noticeable to just the general populous. His footwork, his pocket presence … he’s improved in all areas. Now, he still has work to do. He knows that, we know that. But I think he’s ahead of where he was, certainly, from last season. We think he’s got big upside and still have a lot of confidence in him. There’s no different sentiment than what we had when we first got here.”

Add in Jason Beck utilizing his legs more — it's going to open up a new dynamic for Michigan's offense in 2026. It's hard not to think about what's possible for the Wolverines if Michigan can fully unlock Underwood. Week 2 against Oklahoma could be telling for what things are going to look like for Underwood in season two.