The Wolverines were thirsting for some sort of messiah figure to will them back to their pedestal. Who better than the class of ‘25’s No.1 overall recruit and Michigan native Bryce Underwood to quench their thirst? Boy, did they make sure the love was reciprocated. North of $10 million in NIL money later, the first big QB recruit of the Sherrone Moore era is here. Underwood’s arrival in Ann Arbor is like a transcendent being descending upon the program from the heavens to lift the mood and perception in and around it. However, football is not a one-man sport. As much of a force multiplier as Bryce Underwood projects, what’s a lieutenant without potent weapons?
Sherrone Moore’s struggles to get good quarterback play this past season are well-documented. Having a carousel of 3 different players alternating behind center meant Year 1 of his head coaching tenure entailed a massive fall from grace as defending National Champs. Through all those personnel changes, Michigan still failed to fill its JJ McCarthy-shaped void. But even if Michigan had a great QB, it only would’ve papered over the cracks spread throughout their offense. Especially out on the perimeter. The Wolverines’ receiving corps wasn’t exactly elite. Compare this to their arch-nemesis and current Natty holders, Ohio State, who irrefutably had the best WR room in the country. Now, both teams just onboarded new 5-star QBs. With the supporting cast baked into the equation, is Bryce Underwood staring at a worse situation than Tavien St. Clair, a QB who had 3083 passing yards and 37 TDs in his junior year in high school?
Neither Underwood nor St. Clair is expected to be a starter as a true freshman. Assuming their time comes to shine under the limelight of their respective bluebloods in 2026, what’s the expected outcome? This is a premise explored by FOX’s RJ Young over his “The Number One College Football Show” platform. For players as raw and malleable as these two, an environment conducive to growth, coaching, and ancillary pieces can dictate the trajectory of their careers. Let’s assume the first two facets are a wash in this Underwood vs St. Clair hypothesis. The last one, however, seems to be trending towards a comfortable win for Tavien St. Clair. Young detailed his reasoning why.
“When you’re talking about Semaj Morgan, you’re not talking about wide receivers that move the needle, right? Whereas at Ohio State, Tavien St. Clair is coming in with Quincy Porter. That’s five-star wide receiver… You get one year of Jeremiah Smith. Mylan Graham is right there [too],” said RJ Young. The Buckeyes have recruited and developed WRs at a better clip than any program in the country over recent seasons. The likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, and now Jeremiah Smith himself are proponents of this. They’ve shown they can convert those 5-stars into high-end production. Young proceeded to elaborate on this perceived advantage St. Clair holds over Bryce Underwood.
“[Both Underwood and St. Clair have] got more or less the same measurables in many respects. It’s the same kind of quarterback. It’s what else do you have around [them]? How are you developing those things? Ohio State is a much more balanced offense than Michigan is. They can throw the ball for 300 yards, and if they want to, they can run the ball for 300 yards.” he said. It’s noteworthy that both these teams now have new offensive coordinators in place. So, a tipping of the scales is on the board.
If Underwood and St. Clair indeed sit behind Mikey Keene and Julian Sayin, respectively, for 2025 and begin their collegiate careers on the same timeline, it’ll be fascinating to see how things transpire. You never know—Sayin could be a resounding hit, and St. Clair may not even be in the program come 2026. As for Underwood, he’s perhaps got a little bit too much dip on his chip.
Bryce Underwood invites scrutiny with some bold comments
There’s a fine line between confidence and delusion. Athletes tread this line all the time and ever so often fall over into the trap of the latter. Bryce Underwood has probably been the best athlete on the field every time he’s stepped onto a gridiron in his life. That cultivates a certain confidence in your abilities as well as a certain cockiness. Now, the expectations are already pretty high from his collegiate career. But instead of tempering them, he’s ramping things up to 11.
During an interview with Rich Eisen, Underwood was asked a rather loaded question. At least for someone who’s yet to play a CFB snap. Eisen asked him what he wanted his legacy to be in Ann Arbor. “A couple Heismans and at least one Natty,” replied Underwood. Bold and a little brash. Naturally, Underwood is catching flak for this statement.
For a player who could well redshirt this upcoming season, these comments will reverberate for a very long time. They could come back to bite Underwood. He’s made his bed and will have to lie in it. Given RJ Young’s fair rationale about how his weapons aren’t the greatest, it would appear Bryce Underwood has made a massive rod for his own back. There’s massive pressure on Sherrone Moore and the Michigan brass to provide the requisite help he’ll need when he becomes QB1. The transfer portal becomes key in marginalizing the gap with Ryan Day’s Ohio State.
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