The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
48 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS I n January 2024, Bryce Underwood was known to Michigan fans as just the latest local product to break Wol- verine hearts. The Belleville (Mich.) quarterback had played his high school ball 20 minutes away from Michigan Stadium, grew up a U-M fan, and had visited as a guest of the program as early as his freshman year before committing to LSU. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder, though, remained on the Michigan coaches' ra- dar. The staff did its best to maintain the relationship, retaining hope they could sway him to play closer to home. "I remember talking to him when he was here for a game back then and say- ing, 'You're going to be the next great quarterback here,'" Michigan general manager Sean Magee recalled after Signing Day. Underwood was probably thinking it, too, having grown up a fan of the pro- gram. But as anyone who follows it closely un- derstands well, prep recruiting isn't that simple, especially in the age of name, image, and likeness (NIL). What used to be an A to B proposition now often cycles through many letters of the al- phabet before players settle on a school … and even then, no pledge seems to be safe. When Underwood committed to LSU Jan. 6, 2024, it wasn't the end … only the beginning. When Michigan finally started getting more NIL support and the money needed to compete, head coach Sherrone Moore took the lead in trying to win the "genera- tional talent" back. Yes, Underwood got a huge NIL offer — his dad, Jay, told the Wall Street Journal his son should make $15 million all told at U-M — but the relationships helped, too. Freshman Phenom Quarterback Bryce Underwood Arrives With Incredible Hype And All The Tools Needed To Meet It National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming on Underwood: "When you watch him on the field, he's a magician. I have Bryce as the No. 1 player in the country because he's a quarterback and can do it all." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL