College Football’s 5 Most Unluckiest QBs Featuring Bryce Underwood

Michigan's Bryce Underwood ranked among college football's unluckiest QBs in 2025, and his offseason moves could change everything.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was one of the most unlucky signal-callers, according to a recent analysis from Tom Fornelli. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Not every incompletion is a quarterback's fault. Sometimes you put the ball right where it needs to be, and the receiver just lets it hit the turf.

A new statistical breakdown of Pro Football Focus data compiled by Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports reveals which college football quarterbacks were most victimized by drops in 2025, and the results are both telling and surprising.

The study adjusted completion percentages by removing dropped passes from attempts entirely. The resulting gap between a quarterback's actual completion rate and their drop-adjusted rate is the clearest measure we have of who was genuinely let down by their pass catchers.

Bryce Underwood's drop problem was real

Michigan's Bryce Underwood lands at No. 2 on the list with a 5.50% difference between his actual and adjusted completion rates. That number carries real weight heading into 2026.

Underwood completed passes at a 61.4% clip last season as a true freshman, navigating a program that, according to multiple reports, lacked a dedicated quarterbacks coach under head coach Sherrone Moore.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) looks to pass the ball during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite that structural gap, he still put the ball in position to be caught at a rate that, without the drops, would have looked significantly better.

Now under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, Underwood has a full-time QB coach in Koy Detmer. He has also been working this offseason with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and private QB coach Jordan Palmer, who has previously worked with Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and Trevor Lawrence.

The full list and what it tells us

Appalachian State's AJ Swann tops the rankings with a 5.76% gap, though he has since transferred to Mississippi State, where he is expected to serve as a backup behind Kamario Taylor.

Boise State's Maddux Madsen checks in at No. 3 with a 5.47% difference. Madsen, a fifth-year redshirt senior and two-time Mountain West champion, has led the Broncos to a 19-6 record as a starter. Head coach Spencer Danielson has called him "one of the best quarterbacks in the country."

Former Appalachian State Mountaineers quarterback AJ Swann (5) was the most unlucky quarterback when adjusting completion percentage by removing dropped pass attempts. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Toledo's Tucker Gleason and Tulane's Jake Retzlaff round out the top five at 5.47% and 5.32%, respectively. Gleason has since transitioned to coaching, taking over as offensive coordinator at Plant High School in Tampa. Retzlaff, who went undrafted from BYU, attended Seattle's rookie minicamp in May and has since received an invite from the New York Jets.

On the opposite end, Ohio State's Julian Sayin had just a 1.18% gap, the smallest nationally, which signals his receivers were among the most reliable in college football in 2025.