Wolverine Digest

Where 247Sports ranks Michigan football QB Bryce Underwood among the rest of the Big Ten starting QBs

See where the freshman phenom is ranked.
Trent Knoop|
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Although Michigan football brought in Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene to compete with five-star phenom Bryce Underwood at QB, the Belleville product is expected to start Week 1 for the maize and blue. Keene was battling some sort of an injury this spring and didn't practice with the Wolverines, which gave both Underwood and Jadyn Davis all the snaps with the starters.

Giving Underwood all that time to get used to the playbook, gain chemistry with the team, and confidence at the collegiate rank gives him the inside track. That's also what 247Sports' Brad Crawford believes. Crawford ranked all 18 projected Big Ten starting QBs for this season, and Underwood came in at No. 8 overall.

The top-rated player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Underwood arrives in Ann Arbor with extremely high expectations. He's been around since bowl practice last season and has received rave reviews from teammates and Michigan's coaching staff. If Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene hadn't missed spring practice with an injury, perhaps new Wolverines offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey would feel more comfortable going with a veteran in the opener as opposed to a wet-behind-the-ears true freshman.
Brad Crawford (247Sports/CBS Sports)

This feels like a good ranking for Underwood prior to the season. All of the QBs ahead of Underwood have real game experience -- except for Ohio State's Julian Sayin. If Underwood lives up to the hype, he will be a top-five Big Ten QB his freshman season, but it's important to see him in action under the bright lights first.

Crawford's top five QBs are:

1. Drew Allar (Penn State)
2. Luke Altmyer (Illinois)
3. Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
4. Dante Moore (Oregon)
5. Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

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

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Michigan football moves up in ESPN's post-spring top-25 rankings

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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