Underwood is a Michigan native and the No. 1 player in the high school class of 2025
ANN ARBOR — Michigan hopes it has found a long-term solution to the quarterback woes that have plagued the Wolverines in 2024.
The school got a verbal commitment from five-star QB Bryce Underwood on Thursday. The Michigan native is the No. 2 player in the country according to Rivals and had previously been committed to LSU.
If Underwood signs with Michigan in December’s early signing period or the normal signing period in 2025, he’ll be the school’s highest-ranked recruit since Rashan Gary committed to the Wolverines in 2016.
Underwood would also be the first Rivals five-star to sign with the Wolverines since DB Will Johnson in 2022. Johnson has become one of the best defensive backs in college football and is a likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bryce Underwood at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor watching the Wolverines play football.
The verbal commitment from Underwood comes on the same day that Colorado landed a verbal commitment from five-star QB Julian Lewis. He’s the No. 6 player in the country and had recently de-committed from USC.
It’s hard to overstate the significance of Underwood’s flip for Michigan. The Wolverines have missed out on high-profile in-state QBs in recent years and drastically need a solid quarterback to overhaul the offense under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore.
Michigan is just 5-5 with two games to go in the regular season thanks largely to porous QB play. Three different players have started at QB for Michigan this season and they’ve combined to complete less than 60% of their passes and throw nine TDs and nine interceptions. Overall, Michigan QBs are averaging just six yards per passing attempt.
If Underwood signs in December, he’ll have the opportunity to enroll early at Michigan and participate in spring practices.
The only player ranked ahead of Underwood in Rivals’ rankings is QB Tavien St. Clair. He has been verbally committed to Michigan’s archrival Ohio State since June of 2023. The Buckeyes added two top quarterbacks in the class of 2024 in Air Noland and Julian Sayin.
After Underwood’s commitment, Michigan’s 19-person class now provisionally ranks No. 11 in Rivals’ rankings.
By NICK BROMBERG/Yahoo! Sports
