Michigan Wolverines football is waiting for the official word on freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and whether he will return to the program in 2026. If head coach Kyle Whittingham is to be believed, finality on that front could be coming soon.
Speaking to Dave Portnoy on Monday morning’s “Wake Up Barstool” on Fox Sports 1, the Michigan head coach said that Underwood “is in a good place” currently and that an announcement on his future could come “pretty soon”.
As of Monday, confidence seems high that he will stick in Ann Arbor.
The full exchange is below for context in the interview clip.
Portnoy: “Bryce Underwood, obviously, was the number one recruit in the country. I would say people, Michigan fans [are] like, ‘His mechanics. He almost doesn’t look like he’s been coached.’ I want the guy back. I think he’s a premier guy. I think he’s our number one guy. I think you can win a national title with Bryce Underwood. Is this a continuing, every single day we’re talking to Bryce? I assume he hasn’t made his decision positively or negatively yet. Is this just a continued recruitment of him? “
Whittingham: “I think Bryce is in a good place right now, and I think he might be getting an announcement here pretty soon. And he seems to really enjoy his time here. He has enjoyed his time here, and he is one of the team leaders. He’s a young guy, but he’s one of the team leaders, obviously by virtue of the position. And so he is a guy that we think is going to be a part of what we’re doing going forward. But you gotta… You never know until it’s a done deal.”
During Whittingham’s introductory press conference, he shared some of the details of their first meeting, which was the first one-on-one he held as Michigan’s head coach.
“Well, I did a lot of listening,” Whittingham said. “I wanted to get feedback from him. I wanted to get to know him. Everything from growing up, family, and what’s important to him. It was a great conversation. He is a special young man. Carries himself the right way. Quarterback has to have the “it” factor, and Bryce has the “it” factor, along with a ton of talent. Big, strong kid. His ceiling is very high and the offense we’re going to bring in here is going to suit him and I think he’s really, really going to excel and have a great experience here.”
Underwood, a former five-star recruit and No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, finished his first season at Michigan having started all 13 games with 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, adding 392 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. He completed 60.3% of his passes on the year.