Michigan football’s Bryce Underwood sends bold Ohio State warning to LeBron James

Expectations are high for the Michigan football team ahead of the 2025 season, and incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is a big reason why. Underwood is one of the best football recruits ever, and he will be playing for the Wolverines next season. Underwood’s college career hasn’t even started yet, but he is already one of the biggest names in the sport. So big that he was able to meet LeBron James recently, in fact. James is an Ohio State fan, and Underwood had a stern warning for him regarding the Buckeyes.

Bryce Underwood sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game during a recent trip to LA. He got to meet LeBron James after the game, and they talked about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry for a second.

“And then I said, ‘Before this all starts, I to Michigan. … Yeah, it’s over for Ohio State,’” Underwood said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen show.

Underwood was not scared to show his confidence to one of basketball’s greatest players. James is from Ohio, and he is a huge fan of the Buckeyes. Underwood clearly doesn’t think that Ohio State is going to have a lot of success in the next 3-4 years while he is playing for the Michigan football team.

The Wolverines have owned the rivalry with Ohio State this decade as the Buckeyes haven’t beaten the Wolverines since 2019. Michigan has won the last four matchups, but Ohio State did win the national championship this past season after losing to the Wolverines. Michigan won it all the year prior.

The Bryce Underwood era is almost here for Michigan football

Michigan football fans had the pleasure of watching JJ McCarthy play for the Wolverines for three seasons, and after a year of subpar QB play, the fan base is ready for the Bryce Underwood era to begin.

Underwood is the #1 player in the 2025 class, and he is the second-highest ranked commit in Michigan history. Only Rashan Gary had a better ranking, according to 247Sports.

After being committed to LSU for a long time, Michigan was able to win over the prized recruit that played high school football just outside of Ann Arbor. Underwood played for Belleville High School in Belleville, Michigan. Now, he is getting ready for his career with the Wolverines to begin.

“Potential franchise signal caller with the ideal blend of size, arm talent and athleticism,” Underwood’s scouting report reads. “Exhibited no shortage of field command midway through senior season, which makes sense given resume: over 48 career starts and upwards of 165 touchdowns accounted for. Those numbers are amplified even more by the fact that he’s extremely young for the grade and won’t turn 20 years old until his third year of college. Has continued to improve as a passer and has gotten much more in tune with his mechanics. However, the biggest revelation in his final prep campaign has been his ability to move the chains with his legs as he builds speed and dodges defenders as an open-field runner with a frame that’s north of 6-foot-3 and pushing 215 pounds.”

We’ll have to wait and see how his game translates to the college level, but everything that Underwood put on tape during high school suggests that he has a special future ahead of him.

“Displays excellent pocket awareness for his age and isn’t one that panics as pressure builds. Does best to stay on schedule and hit his marks with authority, showing the ability to not only challenge tight coverage windows with velocity over the middle, but also throw with both touch and anticipation to the second and third levels. Projects as a multi-year impact player for a College Football Playoff contender that has a chance to eventually emerge as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft with his tools. Might need a semester or two to find his footing, but ability to hunt big plays and distribute on the move could be hard to keep off the field even if he’s still learning how to dissect complex defenses.”

It’s going to be interesting to see if Bryce Underwood ends up winning the starting QB job as a true freshman. The Michigan football team is also bringing in transfer Mikey Keene, so the competition will be between those two. Either way, it’s hard to imagine Underwood not having a significant role on next year’s team.