Kelly, Sloan fly to see 5-star QB Bryce Underwood

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan flew to Michigan on Thursday to visit with 5-star+ commitment Bryce Underwood.

Underwood, the nation’s top quarterback and the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, committed to LSU on January 6.

The visit from Sloan and Kelly comes just days before the NCAA Dead Period sets in, which will run from Monday, February 5 through March 3.

Underwood’s commitment in January helped LSU put a firm grip on the No. 1 recruiting class for the 2025 cycle, and the Tigers have since built on the nation’s top class.

Three days prior to Underwood’s announcement, the Tigers reeled in the nation’s No. 1 running back prospect in Louisiana’s Harlem Berry. The pledge from Berry and Underwood gave LSU a trio of five-stars given Dakorien Moore, the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver propect, was already on board.

In the weeks that followed, LSU landed commitments from even more top-end talent, reeling in four-star cornerback Jaboree Antoine and four-star offensive lineman Devin Harper. Both are ranked as Top 3 prospects in Louisiana.

LSU not only has the top recruiting class for the 2025 cycle, but the class is highlighted by four of the Top 20 prospects, regardless of position. The Tigers have 10 total commitments, and nine are ranked by On3 as Top 250 prospects.

The highest-ranked pledge is Underwood, who has a chance to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

Here’s what On3 National Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said about Underwood following his commitment to the Tigers.

Bryce Underwood is an elite arm talent

In watching film this fall, it became apparent that Bryce Underwood‘s downfield arm is unrivaled in high school football. After going through the early seasons of top quarterbacks from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 cycles, Underwood looked to be the top pure arm talent regardless of class. When On3 tabbed him as the No. 1 prospect in 2025 10 months ago, I wrote “No current high school quarterback prospect put more high-level throws on film last fall than Bryce Underwood.” That was the case this fall, as well.

There is a legitimate ‘wow’ factor to many of Underwood’s passes. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, there’s a degree of explosion in the arm that immediately sticks out. Underwood employs considerable torque to uncoil his long arms to result in a whippy motion that produces high RPM’s on the ball. He consistently shows the ability to rip throws 60+ yards downfield. Far hash throws look routine. He’s able to reset and quickly launch passes downfield in the face of pressure.

Underwood’s arm strength is such that he’s able to deliver high-difficulty throws without his feet being set. One throw in particular from Belleville’s first round playoff game stands out. While working off of a play action fake, Underwood turned around to find two free runners baring down. He quickly gathered and fired a cross-field throw from the far hash to a receiver on the opposite boundary. The defensive backs were caught off guard and for good reason – it’s a preposterous throw. There’s maybe 100 quarterbacks currently capable of completing that pass in a game and most of them are in the NFL.

That type of arm talent allows Underwood to access all areas of the field on any play, generating substantial stress on defenses and seemingly limitless opportunities for an offense.

Athletic and developmental upside

Bryce Underwood has several markers that point to a high upside in addition to the pure arm talent. For one, he’s a good athlete. Underwood’s movement skills, both within and outside of structure stack up very well with most other top quarterback prospects – particularly those who are identified early in the process. He shows good play speed and has been a dangerous and productive rusher when called upon. Underwood is certainly a pass-first signal caller, but he’s capable of picking up chunk yardage when the play breaks down.

In addition to the rushing ability, Underwood is coordinated and controlled within his drops. The movement skills within the pocket to avoid the pass rush is advanced for this stage.

There are several markers that point to a level of developmental upside with Underwood that far exceeds most underclassman quarterbacks who were on the national radar early on. Unlike many others, he does not appear to be topped out. There are areas for improvement, despite him already playing at a very high level. In addition to the physical gifts, Underwood is also young for the cycle. He should technically be a 2026 prospect and doesn’t turn 17 years-old until August.

Bryce Underwood’s strong on-field resume

While Bryce Underwood is a high upside physical talent, he’s also quite accomplished as a high school football player. Through three seasons at Belleville, he’s compiled a 40-2 record as a starter en route to two state titles. A great year as a senior capped off with another state title would have to make him one of the more accomplished high school players the state of Michigan has seen.

As a junior in 2023, Underwood completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,329 yards and 41 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He added 199 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. He’s accounted for 138 touchdowns through his first three seasons of high school football.