Bryce Underwood 'like nothing anybody's ever seen here' so far at Michigan

Much is expected of Michigan QB Bryce Underwood as the No. 1 recruit, both in the incoming class and among all-time when it comes to recruiting services. He has already begun to actually live up to that high standard, too, through his time to this point in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverine’s Chris Balas joined ‘Andy & Ari On3’ on Thursday to preview the upcoming season for the maize & blue. A lot of the focus on that season is at quarterback, and specifically Underwood as “like nothing anybody’s ever seen here before” and “by far the best freshman quarterback, true freshman that they’ve seen” for Michigan per Balas. It’s now a question of what the rest of the team could be around him if he does, as projected, earn the job as their starter.

“Bryce Underwood, from practice one to practice 15, and what he brings to the table in terms of physical skills, is like nothing anybody’s ever seen here before,” Balas stated. “We’ve seen Drew Henson here as a true freshman, Chad Henne started here as a true freshman. People have been here for 35, 40 years, say he is by far the best freshman quarterback, true freshman that they’ve seen here.”

“And now part of it’s going to be the people around him, right? And, the receiving corps, there’s still some question marks there. The offensive line? There are question marks there. So you can’t put him in harm’s way,” Balas noted. “They keep telling people about Devin Gardner, for example, back in 2013 and the beating he took. He should have been a better quarterback here but he didn’t have the pieces, right?”

Again, the ratings speak for themselves when it comes to Underwood. He’s a Five-Star+ prospect, at a mark of 99.87 being No. 1 overall and the No. 1 QB, in 2025. That’s since led to nothing but positive buzz about him and what he’ll be for their offense as a whole, since he’s arrived on campus in Ann Arbor.

That said, Balas did mention that Mikey Keene, the transfer from Fresno State and previously UCF, isn’t necessarily out of the running to start either. He’ll still have time, despite dealing with an injury in the spring, to compete for the job through this summer and into the fall for Michigan.

“I don’t think he has no choice because I think Mikey Keene is starting to heal up. I talked to Chip Lindsey today, as a matter of fact, the offensive coordinator, and he said he’s back healthy. He’s throwing a little bit. And, he had an upper body injury that really limited him,” Balas said. “So, I suppose he could come out of nowhere and, all of a sudden, pick up the offense, having worked with Chip Lindsey before, and just wowing everybody at the point where, okay, he’s the guy.”

Still, at some point or another, Underwood will be the Wolverines’ QB1. There’s no debate about that, really, with Balas, along with others around the program, thinking it could come as soon as two and a half months from now when they take the field for the opener.

“I do think that Underwood will be the guy. I think that Mikey Keene will be pushing him. Jadyn Davis is a distant third,” Balas said. “When I asked somebody specifically? I said, alright, off the record, who’s your quarterback this year? And then he said follow the money, and that means Bryce Underwood.”