The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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62 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2025 R ick Leach, Chad Henne, Tate Forcier … Bryce Underwood. Yes, the freshman Detroit native will join those other three as a fresh- man starter under center for Michigan, barring something unforeseen between now and the Aug. 30 opener against New Mexico. We would say Underwood being Michigan's No. 1 quarterback is the worst-kept secret in Ann Arbor, but it's not really much of a secret at all. Ac- cording to sources, he's taken most of the meaningful snaps with the start- ers, while graduate Mikey Keene — a Fresno State transfer who's made 34 ca- reer starts — is still working back toward being 100 percent following an injury he suffered in the winter. Underwood turned 18 years old Aug. 19, just 11 days before the Wolverines begin the season, and he is already ex- pected to be among the top 10 quarter- backs in the Big Ten, checking in No. 8 on CBS Sports' preseason list. The Wolverines have a lot of question marks offensively, with a new coordina- tor and quarterback. But there are fewer concerns this year than there would be in a different season under these cir- cumstances, because of just how inef- fective the offense was in 2024. Michi- gan failed to hit 300 total yards in nine of 13 games and threw for less than 100 yards of offense in four tilts. Amazingly, the Wolverines went 4-0 when failing to hit the century mark through the air, beating Minnesota (86), Alabama (75), Ohio State (62) and USC (32). The offense can't get any worse, es- pecially in the passing game. "Those have been the focal points — detail, execution of the same plays over and over again — and then finding ways to hit big ones," co-offensive coordina- tor Steve Casula said. Michigan is creating more "explosive" plays in practice, and there's a strong belief that'll carry over to the games. That probably has as much or more to do with Underwood and an improved wide receiving corps than the scheme under new coordinator Chip Lindsey, but either way, there's little chance the Maize and Blue will end this year as the only team in the nation without a pass- ing play of 40-plus yards. In fact, they may hit one of those in the opener, and that would be a breath of fresh air. IRON SHARPENS IRON Michigan's passing game being one of the worst in America last season hurt the defense in a multitude of ways, in- cluding lack of preparedness to face high-powered offenses once the games began. Michigan's defense was elite by the end of the season, but there were some cracks early on, especially in the pass- ing game. Think back to what ailed them on that side of the ball: allowing third-down conversions — especially on third-and-long — and some busted coverages. They weren't challenged enough in practice and had to adjust as the season went on. The Wolverines allowed 259.8 passing yards per contest in the first six games. Things got better after that, beginning at Illinois, and in the final seven outings, U-M gave up only 179 per contest — an 80-yard difference! The secondary unit feels better pre- pared this time around, thanks to Un- derwood and Lindsey. "When you look at our receiver corps, besides maybe one or two guys, it's the same corps — but I think the quarter- back play has been better," defensive passing game coordinator LaMar Mor- gan stated. "Guys are getting open. The ball is in the right spots. "The quarterbacks have been put- ting the ball where it needs to be. There are some throws where you're in per- fect position, and the ball's on the ticks. You're playing press man, and the guy throws the ball right on the money. It's just hard to defend." The Wolverines will take on some good quarterbacks and offenses in 2025, beginning with John Mateer and Oklahoma Sept. 6 and Dylan Raiola and Nebraska Sept. 20. USC head man Lin- coln Riley (Oct. 11) and Washington's Jedd Fisch (Oct. 18) always have high- powered offenses, and everybody knows what Ohio State will bring to the table Nov. 29. "They're making us defend the whole field, which I think is what you want," Morgan said of the U-M offense in prac- tice. "Bryce is making us better. Going into the season, we should be better in the passing game, for sure, on offense and defense, with what we're going against every day." Defensive coordinator Wink Mar- tindale said, "For us to have a success- ful season, we're going to have to play complementary football." That starts in fall camp, and Michigan is in a better spot in that regard ahead of the much- anticipated 2025 campaign. ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Buckle Up For Bryce Underwood Underwood, who is expected to line up under center as U-M's starting quarterback, turned 18 years old just 11 days prior to the Aug. 30 season opener versus New Mexico. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.