Bryce Underwood commits to Michigan: Wolverines flip Belleville QB

On November 22, 2024By Littum

Michigan football has completed the biggest recruiting flip in its history.

Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines were reportedly able to secure a commitment from Belleville star quarterback Bryce Underwood on Thursday afternoon ahead of their matchup this weekend with Northwestern, with Moore apparently confirming the news on social media.

“YES SIR! The best players in Michigan go to Michigan,” Moore said Thursday.

Underwood, the the nation’s no. 1 overall recruit, and comes out of Belleville High Schooloriginally pledged to the Tigers back in January, less than a week prior Wolverines won the national championship.

Over the past few months, as Michigan’s quarterback situation fell apart, the Wolverines implemented a full-court press to keep Underwood in-state, and after a rollercoaster ride, it appears to have worked.

As recently as last week, many believed that Underwood was on his way to LSU, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press at the time.

Underwood, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound dual-threat passer, even took to social media last Thursday night to share a post indicating that he had rejected Michigan’s reported massive name, picture and likeness package worth around $10 million per year, and said “the No. 1 overall prospect … is unlikely to accept Michigan’s lucrative NIL offer,” but the post was eventually deleted.

The post came about a week after Underwood took a visit to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 9 to watch the Tigers play Alabama — a game the Crimson Tide won easily, 42-13.

Last week, Michigan had offered a four-year NIL deal worth nearly $10 million over four years, including win-based and championship-based incentives.

At this point, it’s not clear if the Wolverines and their collective increased their offer, if Underwood had a change of heart or something else.

Michigan redoubled its efforts with Underwood this fall when the quarterback prospects on its own roster came up.

The unit went from Davis Warren to Alex Orji to Jack Tuttle and back to Warren — and all the while, UM began ramping up its pursuit of the nation’s most coveted high school athlete. Meanwhile, four-star quarterback Carter Smith, who had been committed to UM since November 2023, got wind of UM’s increasing efforts to land the local product and bowed out of his pledge to come to Ann Arbor

“I want to start by thanking the coaching staff at Michigan for everything they have done for me,” Smith wrote on social media. “I especially want to thank Coach Campbell for everything and giving me such an incredible opportunity. With that being said, I want to announce that I have resigned from the University of Michigan.”

Underwood has all the size and tools to be a top quarterback at any level. His prolific high school career ended last weekend when Belleville was downed by Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 35-21, in the MHSAA football playoffs. Underwood completed 11 of 23 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

With Underwood’s commitment, the Wolverines’ class jumped to No. 9 in the country.