Michigan football very well may be rolling with a true freshman quarterback in 2025 with former No. 1 overall recruit and five-star Bryce Underwood being the likely favorite to start under center for the Wolverines this year.
Though he is a first-year player, and his stat line wasn’t exactly eye-popping, Underwood showcased enhanced ability as a signal caller in the spring game, making every throw you’d expect a veteran quarterback to make, despite having just been on campus for about four months. Though Michigan brought in transfer Mikey Keene to compete for the role, Keene has been injured all spring, opening up the position for Underwood to win it outright.
247Sports put out its post-spring Big Ten quarterback ranking and Underwood came in just above the middle of the pack.
8. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
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.
Underwood is thought to be a Trevor Lawrence-level talent, and Lawrence didn’t start right away for Clemson in his first year — however, he did start in Week 5 his freshman season. However, Michigan is in a much different situation as it doesn’t have a returning Kelly Bryant as the Tigers had to soften the blow while getting its freshman ready.
The quarterbacks ahead of Underwood include Penn State QB Drew Allar at No. 1, Illinois’ Luke Altmeyer at No. 2, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin at No. 3, Oregon’s Dante Moore at No. 4, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza at No. 5, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola at No. 6, and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava at No. 7.
