Urban Meyer raves about play of Bryce Underwood in Michigan debut: 'Cam Newton-ish'

Even Michigan‘s rivals can’t help but gawk at Wolverines freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. During an appearance on The Herd on Thursday, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer raved about Underwood’s debut performance in Michigan’s 34-17 win over New Mexico.

“I went back and watched every snap,” Meyer said. “My God, I mean, that’s a junior in college, and he’s really not. His physical presence is Cam Newton-ish. His size, his athleticism — I mean, spectacular.

“Day 1, he might be that guy that walks on campus — like when I had Percy Harvin — you’re just like, ‘That’s an absolute freak. Get him ready to play as fast you can.’ I’ve heard that about him. Now, that you saw it in person, that’s legit.”

The hype around Underwood entering this season knew no bounds. Expectations were sky-high for the No. 1 overall prospect from the 2025 recruiting cycle and, yet, he somehow met them.

In the win, Underwood completed 21-of-his-31 pass attempts for 251 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception. The performance was a breath of fresh air for the Wolverines, who averaged the least passing yards per game last season of any Power Four team in the country.

At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Underwood is an NFL prototype and could be the key to Michigan’s success this season. Urban Meyer is far from the only one who was impressed by Underwood’s performance this past weekend.

“It was cool to see him do it in the game and to watch his poise throughout the game,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said after Michigan’s win on Saturday. “It was just the poise that he had throughout the game. Not just on the field, but off the field: watching the iPads, making the adjustments, and talking to the team. The kid is just cerebral.”

Underwood’s talent will be put to the test this week when the Wolverines square off against No. 18 Oklahoma. Of course, the challenge goes both ways. On Tuesday, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables discussed how his team will prepare for Bryce Underwood’s talent.

“He’s a guy that, man, he’s a little different,” Venables said. “He reminds me a lot of Trevor Lawrence — just quick, decisive, accurate, poised, tough, consistent. There’s a reason he was the No. 1 player in America, and he’s got a maturity and a work ethic and leadership ability to go along with that.”

Michigan and Oklahoma will face off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC.