Kyle Whittingham reveals how Bryce Underwood is improving after 'tough situation' as freshman

Last season, Bryce Underwood became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Michigan since 2009. Expectations were high for Underwood, who was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

While Underwood looked like a star at times, there were some rough patches. During an appearance on THE BLUE PRINT podcast, new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham weighed in on Underwood’s freshman season and shared how the team has developed the budding star this offseason.

“Bryce was thrown into a pretty tough situation last fall – true freshman, 18 years old, starting quarterback at not only a P4 program, but Michigan,” Whittingham said. “You’re under the spotlight. Also, didn’t have a dedicated quarterback coach last year, from what I was told. So, he was a little rough around the edges; still is a little bit.

“You talked about spring ball, but long before that, January, February, we were in the film room and talking him through mechanics and footwork and read progressions and all that, continued through spring. He has made progress. Still got a long ways to go, but he’s on the right path.”

Underwood completed 60.3% of his pass attempts for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, compared to nine interceptions. He also recorded 392 rushing yards and six scores in the ground game.

Some questioned Underwood’s future at Michigan this offseason after head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for cause. But after meeting with Kyle Whittingham, he opted to return.

Whittingham brought his offensive coordinator from Utah, Jason Beck, to serve under him in the same role at Michigan. Under Beck’s supervision, Utah averaged the fifth-most total yards of offense per game in the country.

For reference, Michigan ranked No. 59 in the same category this past season. With Beck, Whittingham and quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer monitoring his progress, Bryce Underwood is working to build on his glimpses of freshman success.

“It’ll be very important this summer that he continues to work. And one thing about Bryce, he’s got a great work ethic,” Whittingham said. “There’s no worrying about him putting in the time. He’s going to put in all the time he needs. He’s completely dedicated to his craft.

“… We got a really good, much better, clearer picture through spring ball what he does well, what suits him and what aspects of the offense are his strong suits, and we’ll start to gravitate toward that as we move closer to the season. We exposed him to everything this spring, but again, we got to know him a lot better, and we’ll continue to move and evolve the offense in a direction that really suits what he does best.”