Michigan expected to name Bryce Underwood starting quarterback: Reports

Coach Sherrone Moore circled Monday as the day when he would announce a starting quarterback for Michigan’s season opener against New Mexico.

“Set your clocks,” he told reporters two weeks ago.

The clock is ticking, and it appears Bryce Underwood’s time has arrived. Underwood, a freshman and the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025, has been the expected choice throughout preseason camp, and multiple outlets reported Sunday that he’s locked up the job.

The announcement is all but a formality given the trajectory of Michigan’s quarterback competition. Underwood has been taking starter’s reps since the spring, and there’s been no indication that any other quarterback has mounted a serious challenge for the job. Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene was expected to push Underwood, but an injury kept him out of spring practice and limited his availability in camp. Michigan’s other quarterbacks are redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis and East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia.

By Moore’s own criteria for naming a starter — “when they grab the team” — Underwood has earned the job. Michigan’s offense has been coalescing around him for the entire offseason, and now it’s time to see what he’ll do with the opportunity.

“He has that natural leadership,” left guard Giovanni El-Hadi said. “When he calls something, he’s confident, if it’s right or if it’s wrong. You’ve got to be confident to be a quarterback — not cocky, but confident.”

(Photo of Bryce Underwood at Michigan’s spring game: Detroit Free Press via Imagn Images)