Why I'm Buying the Bryce Underwood Hype in 2026

Fall camp is on the horizon and the Michigan Wolverines are set to enter the first year of the Kyle Whittingham era.

Michigan won nine games a season ago, but with a lot of empty calories as they were largely non-competitive in their toughest games of the season. As a result, this season is a big one for both the program, and its most recognizable player.

Bryce Underwood entered the 2025 season as the savior of the program. 2024 was a disaster at the quarterback position in the wake of JJ McCarthy’s departure for the NFL.

Davis Warren, Alex Orji, and Jack Tuttle all rotated through the position before Warren ultimately became the answer for the team’s signature 13-10 win over Ohio State in November.

While Warren will be remembered forever for winning that day, anyone who watched Michigan’s offense knew the passing game was anemic to say the least.

Underwood was supposed to change that, adding a dual threat quarterback to an offense that was certainly slated to have a powerful run game spearheaded by Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall.

There were some flashes of brilliance that were mostly surrounded by mediocrity, which may be putting it kindly.

Underwood finished his freshman season with just 11 touchdown passes to nine interceptions. What was more alarming than the raw stats was it was hard to tell where Underwood had gotten better from his first start against New Mexico to his final start of the regular season against Ohio State.

Despite that, there are reasons to buy the hype that surrounds Underwood.

Freshman Struggles

Yes, college football has changed. It will continue to change. Players are paid now, and Bryce Underwood’s recruitment to Michigan was completed in no small part due to NIL dollars that went directly into Underwood’s bank account.

As a result, it’s easy to forget that Underwood was a true freshman, and a young player being thrust into the fire of one of the most difficult conferences in all of football.

Expecting Underwood to be a savior was always unrealistic. In fact, expecting him to even be passable might have been unrealistic.

Only 34 days until Michigan 🏈 is back!

Can’t wait to see more of the Bryce Underwood-Andrew Marsh connection in 2026. A big season loading for this duo. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/SETC7Wyt4H
— Section 313 Sports (@Section313Sport) August 2, 2026

That’s true before you get into the messy situation that surrounded him. Underwood has said all the right things this offseason, and his work ethic has never been something that has been in question.

Those freshman mistakes can pay dividends in a big way with a better coaching staff around him. Speaking of which…

Koy Detmer Jr.

Kyle Whittingham appears more confused every time he points this out, but it’s true. Michigan did not have a dedicated quarterback coach a season ago, with those duties falling on offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.

One of Whittingham’s first hires, was one to rectify that. Koy Detmer Jr. came to Michigan with Whittingham and was tasked with getting the most out of Underwood.

Detmer’s father played in the NFL, most notably for the Philadelphia Eagles, so he has seen what it takes to play at the highest level.

Detmer was an analyst at Utah last year working with quarterbacks, so he helped oversee Devon Dampier’s 24 touchdown to five interception season.

Yes, he’s new to the role, but having someone who is a right-hand man to offensive coordinator Jason Beck can only be beneficial for a young quarterback. Quarterback is an incredibly difficult position to play. It’s even more difficult when someone is making a jump from high school to college, and essentially being left to fend for himself.

Underwood will have a much better infrastructure around him, and Detmer Jr. is a big reason why.

New Weapons

Nobody is going to accuse Michigan’s wide receiver room of looking like Ohio State’s, but they are positioned to be much better with pass catchers than they were a season ago.

For instance, they’re healthier at tight end, a position that was decimated by injuries a season ago. Marlin Klein is off to the NFL, so there are some question marks there, but better health should help lead to a healthy competition in fall camp.

Andrew Marsh came up HUGE!pic.twitter.com/QSlJWmQvVW
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 15, 2025

At receiver, Andrew Marsh has the looks of a potential star in the Big Ten. He was not a starter to begin the season, and underutilized throughout the year as the offensive staff struggled to find ways to generate any sort of consistent passing attack.

Finding ways to get the ball in his hands should be a high priority for Jason Beck as he can make a potential leap as a second year player.

JJ Buchanan is a name drawing some buzz as a transfer from Utah, and projects as a good secondary option at receiver.

There are some things to shake out still at receiver, but Michigan did make its best effort to upgrade the talent in the room. If nothing else, the floor of the room should be much higher than it was a season ago.

Better Coach

Kyle Whittingham is one of the most decorated coaches in football. He’s done more with less at Utah after following in the footsteps of Urban Meyer.

There’s no question about whether Whittingham was qualified for the job at Michigan when he took it. The same cannot be said for his predecessor.

Furthermore, Whittingham likely could have started fresh if he wanted to. He could have pursued a true competitor for the starting job via the transfer portal. Instead, Whittingham has been staunch since the day he took over.

Underwood is their guy, and they’re doing everything around him to build a foundation, instead of asking him to be the savior.

Whittingham’s chops as a coach should also help him hold Underwood more accountable to where there is more of a player/coach relationship, as opposed to a friendly one that was prevalent with Moore.

Talent

The last point is probably the most obvious one. Yes, Underwood struggled a season ago, but he was not a five star recruit for no reason.

Even with the struggles that Underwood had a season ago, coaches have been complimentary of his talent.

That includes Urban Meyer saying that if God himself was told to create a quarterback it would look like Bryce Underwood.

Even with the struggles, there are plays that Underwood made a season ago that showed his five-star potential. That is true even if he had inconsistent footwork and poor decision making at different points through the year.

Those are correctable issues. Those are things that can be taught.

Underwood’s combination of size, speed, and arm talent? Those are things that cannot be taught.

A better coaching staff around a moldable ball of clay who is tall, fast, and has the arm talent of Underwood should mean that the sky is the limit.

For that reason, I am buying the hype around Underwood.

With fall camp starting next week, here are six #Michigan football players facing the most pressure to perform in camp.

STORY: https://t.co/FEmWvL7r12 pic.twitter.com/YhK1naGqVX
— Trent Knoop (@TrentKnoop) August 2, 2026

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