Greg McElroy: Michigan intel suggests QB Bryce Underwood a ‘completely different player’

There was a lot of hype surrounding Bryce Underwood when he stepped foot onto the field as a freshman for Michigan. But in 2025, it was a mixed bag of results and the Wolverines ended up being a program embroiled in scandal with former head coach Sherrone Moore. Now that a new leaf has been turned under former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, Underwood might be in a better spot for his second season under center. New offensive coordinator, Jason Beck promises to bring a different offense, one that is suited for Underwood‘s talents, that could bring Michigan to the forefront of the Big Ten. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage Whether that happens, this season or next remains to be seen, but ESPN‘s Greg McElroy reported positive Intel from Ann Arbor regarding Underwood. If Whittingham is to succeed, even if his tenure is short in the twilight of his career, he’ll need Underwood, who is a former five-star-plus recruit, to be at his best. “It sounds like Bryce Underwood just had the best camp that anybody has reported on him, right,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “It sounds like offensive coordinator Jason Beck said that of all the practices they’ve had, 13 to be exact, all 13 were pretty good practices, right? Now camp closed just a couple days ago, and word out of the final scrimmage is that he looks like a completely different player. “He’s climbing in the pocket. He’s not drifting onto his back foot like he did a year ago. And you listen to the receivers too-the way they’re describing him as calmer and sharper and more precise than he was just a year ago. Now the freshman line wasn’t great, right? He had less than 2,500 yards, had just 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Now the second part is that part of the reason why he struggled was not entirely on him. If you just watched last year’s tape and said that Underwood was running for his life a lot, maybe the offense didn’t have a clear and focused identity. Well, that was a big reason why he wasn’t as successful as he could have been. And this also was a pretty conservative offense too last year.” Bryce Underwood ready to take step forward in 2026 If McElroy’s intel is correct, and it seems like it is, Underwood could be in for a big year. He might be a completely different player, and a better quarterback, considering he was named a sophomore captain. “Overall it’s a dream come true,” Underwood said. “First off, it’s a blessing being here in the first place, but for my teammates to trust me to be a leader — that’s a big blessing for me.” Junior running back Jordan Marshall knew it was the right choice for Michigan. The quarterback generally ends up being a captain, but it’s noteworthy Underwood has had this shift from freshman to sophomore year. “Bryce does a lot of things by action, and he leads by how he treats people and how he communicates with people,” Marshall said. “I think that’s the biggest thing — how he communicates with his teammates. He’s so willing to understand — he’ll go back in the locker room and talk to the defense like, ‘What were you guys doing on this play?’ And I think that’s leadership — to understand not only what your teammates are thinking, because maybe me and Bryce disagree on something, but to come together and learn from that.”