The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL M ichigan sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood is coming off a solid 2025 season, having completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. But there's more to unlock with his game, and position coach and offensive coordinator Jason Beck intends on doing that. It starts with the work, and the 6-foot- 4, 228-pound Underwood has been put- ting it in. "I'll tell you what, I was really im- pressed, he is a really hard worker," Beck said in March. "When we got here in the winter, he was one of the hardest workers on the team [in the] weight room and on the field. So, there are a lot of great quali- ties there that allow you to develop that kind of player. And his teammates really respect him because of that work ethic that they're seeing every day." Footwork is a top priority for a quarter- back, Beck said, and tells a lot about what the player is thinking. Processing infor- mation, making reads and going through progressions are all things Underwood can improve on, and that's part of the work this offseason. Defensive coordina- tor Jay Hill, who prides himself on con- fusing opposing quarterbacks, is helping out with that this spring. "It's happening," head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Hill throwing chal- lenging pictures at Underwood in prac- tice. "And Jay, with his scheme, there are a lot of looks." Making mistakes is part of that process, but better now than in the fall. "I can't imagine he's going to face anyone more sophisticated and with as [many] looks as what he's getting this spring, so that's a good thing," the Michi- gan coach said. "He's improved overall, without a doubt. His footwork is better. He's mak- ing better decisions. Still a work in prog- ress, as is the whole football team." "We do want to work with what he's comfortable doing," Beck said. "We don't need to reinvent the wheel and try to do some whole new mechanics or anything. So, we want to work within how he's com- fortable naturally operating. And now just timing that footwork into his reads and his decision-making. But when it comes down to it, if you have a good base and you can be set towards your target as you de- liver the ball, that gives you a great chance to be accurate." Underwood is also a productive runner, racking up 392 yards and 6 touchdowns on 88 carries, including sacks, in 2025. He had 40 scrambles for 287 yards and 37 designed runs for 200 yards. Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was averse to running his quarter- back, saying to do that, "you better have two," but it seems Beck subscribes to a different philosophy. "Do what they do best, and so if they can run and it's a weapon, then they'll be fine," Beck said. "If guys aren't good runners, then they get themselves hurt. If guys are good runners, they're comfort- able doing that and they excel at it, then you have good success. But that's just part of playing the position. "You do have to be smart about it. You don't want to run your quarterback 25 times, unless you have a bye week or something to get him back. But it does seem to be a part of Bryce's skill set." Michigan offensive linemen who spoke to the media during spring ball identi- fied pass protection as a big area of focus heading into the 2026 campaign, after Underwood was pressured on 31.8 per- cent of his drop-backs last year, per PFF. "The biggest thing we've done is hire Jim Harding as the offensive line coach," Whittingham said. "He's outstanding. He's been with me for 12, 13, 14 years — I've lost track. He produces a quality product year in and year out. He's just ter- rific. I've got total confidence in Jim that he'll do everything right." Michigan's wide receivers, too, may be one of the most improved groups on the team. Sophomore Andrew Marsh led the team with 45 receptions for 651 yards and 4 touchdowns last year, while classmate JJ Buchanan transferred in from Utah, where he hauled in 26 grabs for 427 yards and 5 scores in 2025. "The receivers have stepped up," Whittingham said. "Andrew Marsh is the leader in that room, him and JJ Bu- chanan in particular have had really good springs." — Clayton Sayfie BRYCE UNDERWOOD IS TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS THIS OFFSEASON Underwood has impressed the new coaching staff with his improvement in the offseason, starting with his footwork and processing. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck also values his skill set as a runner and seems far more open to using Underwood's legs as a weapon for U-M this fall. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL