How Michigan Landed 5-Star QB Bryce Underwood

Four days before the Jan. 10 national championship game between Michigan and Washington, the nation’s top recruit, five-star Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood, committed to LSU in a ceremony at his high school, located just 18 miles from Michigan Stadium.

Underwood’s announcement marked the third straight recruiting cycle in which a high-profile quarterback recruit from Michigan will leave the state to play college football, joining Detroit Martin Luther King’s Dante Moore in 2023 (signed with LSU , but since transferred to Oregon) and Saline’s CJ. Carr in 2024 (Notre Dame).

At the time of Underwood’s verbal commitment to the Tigers, Michigan was focused on capping off a 15-0 national championship season, which it did with a 34-13 win over the Huskies.

A mass exodus of players and staff followed, losing head coach Jim Harbaugh and 18 starters. Few expected Michigan to be a national title contender in 2024 with first-year head coach Sherrone Moore and massive turnover on the roster and staff.

But the glow of a national championship quickly faded in Ann Arbor, with Michigan splashing the gates and now fighting for bowl eligibility instead of postseason championships.

The Wolverines used a number of quarterbacks to try to replace JJ McCarthy, but the results were uninspiring. With Michigan ranking among the worst passing offenses in the country all season, it became clear that the program needed an influx of talent on the offensive side of the ball, namely at quarterback.

Brice Marich, a recruiting reporter for the Michigan Insider, said Moore reconnected with Underwood in the spring, but communication intensified this fall given the Wolverines’ struggles on offense.

Moore and his newly hired CEO, Sean Magee, began working more collaboratively with collectives to become more of a player in the name, image and likeness space—a significant shift from the previous “transformational versus transactional” approach of the university.

Michigan’s efforts paid off on Thursday when Underwood announced he would be flipping his commitment to the Wolverines in a bombshell decision. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound dual-threat signal-caller becomes just the second No. 1 recruit to commit to Michigan, joining Rashan Gary in 2016.

“Looking at how the season went, it was kind of a blessing and a curse, because if they went like 8-4, 9-3, I don’t know if you’d see Michigan being as intense and aggressive in their approach,” Marich told MLive. “I think because of how awful this schedule has looked and how empty the roster is going to be after this season, (Moore) understands that he has to reload and he has to reload quickly. I think Michigan fans are seeing the talent going down and the only way to get it back on the roster is to recruit talent from the high school ranks and the portal, and you’re going to see both of those in the offseason.”

Underwood’s recruitment has featured several twists and turns in recent weeks, but Michigan has never scaled back its search for a generational prospect right in its own backyard. As reports of the Wolverines’ strong interest in Underwood began to surface, MLive attended Belleville’s playoff opener against Ann Arbor Pioneer on Nov. 1. LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was in attendance, sitting at midfield during warmups and on the sideline for the entire game. in a 68-0 rout.

After the game, Underwood signed autographs for a crowd of young fans. But he and those lockers for him kept their recruitment close to their vests. He, his father and the Belleville coaches all declined interviews after the game.

A week later, Underwood took an official visit to LSU, and multiple recruiting insiders reported that the Tigers were in pole position to keep him until signing day, Dec. 4.

Even last week, he posted a picture of himself in LSU gear on his Instagram page saying he would “probably turn down” a NIL offer from Michigan worth about $10 million. The post was deleted shortly after, but it appeared the Wolverines still had an uphill battle to topple him.

They reached the summit on Thursday, securing their commitment. Underwood made several “secret” visits to Ann Arbor this week and watched Moore as the team prepares for Saturday’s home finale against Northwestern.

“I think this is a program-saving, game-changing type of pitch,” Marich said. “He is a generational talent. He is the hometown hero, so to speak. There’s a lot to like about him. He has played since he was a freshman at Belleville. Won state titles. He is a winner. He can run the ball, he can throw the ball. It’s one reason why so many schools were after him. For Michigan to keep chipping away, keep chipping away, and then finally break down that wall and get a talent like him, that speaks volumes. I’m not saying there was a lot of pressure, but from an outside perspective, I felt like this was one that Sherrone had to have and she pulled it off.”

Even though Michigan was one of seven finalists for Underwood when he committed to LSU in January, the Wolverines were not viewed as a top contender. They offered him early in his high school career, which ended last week with a playoff loss to Detroit Catholic Central, but Marich said Underwood didn’t feel like a priority for the previous coaching regime.

Moore and his staff had work to do to try to mend a fractured relationship. A more unified message from the coaches and staff was also beneficial in landing Underwood. Multiple reports that Underwood’s multi-year NIL package is worth between $5 million and $10 million are unconfirmed, but a source told MLive the value is substantial.

“This was a very sensitive and fragile recruitment,” Marich said. “One that is probably the most fragile recruitment I’ve ever covered. There were a lot of moving parts. There are a lot of layers to this recruitment. There are many hands in this pot. But Sherrone Moore has taken the lead in this recruitment. He said, “This is my child.” I’ll all be on deck and we’ll go down in the swing. I want to be the guy to take that swing and hit that home run,’ and he knocked it out of the park.”

Underwood’s commitment can’t become official until Dec. 4, but he will be the centerpiece of the Wolverines’ 2025 class that should finish in the top 10. He now has 19 verbal commitments this cycle, including five top-100 prospects with more potential many on the way. Signed a top-100 recruit in the previous two cycles combined.

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