Belleville QB Bryce Underwood, no. 1 national recruit, flips commitment to Michigan

On By Littum

Michigan’s dismal season just got a whole lot better.

The Wolverines have a commitment from Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the nation to join the 2025 recruiting class.

Underwood announced the news, first reported by ESPN insider Adam Schefter, on Instagram.

Belleville cornerback Elijah Dotson, who flipped from Pittsburgh to Michigan earlier this week, confirmed to The News that Underwood is joining him.

“He’s flipped. Bryce is going to Michigan; I found that out earlier today,” Dotson told The Detroit News Thursday night. “I’m very excited. Me and my brother only had one year together in Belleville and now we can continue our relationship in Michigan.”

Michigan, the defending national champion, reportedly had a NIL offer upwards of $10 million over four years for Underwood, who took an official visit to LSU on Nov. 9 to watch Alabama crush the Tigers, 42-13. LSU (6-4) lost to Florida, 27-16, on Saturday.

The Champions Circle, the primary collective for Michigan athletics, issued a release Thursday night thanking those who “worked tirelessly behind the scenes” to land the Underwood commitment.

“We are very pleased to keep Bryce at home in Michigan as he continues to build his legacy,” said local businessman Nate Forbes, founding member and chairman of the Champions Circle. “I want to personally thank Jolin and Larry Ellison who were instrumental to make this happen by providing Champions Circle with invaluable guidance and financial resources.”

Underwood, 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, has tremendous arm strength and accuracy and has worked on his running game the past two years, rushing for more than 500 yards this season, including two rushing TDs in Belleville’s 35 -21 regional last loss to no. 1 Detroit Catholic Central on Friday night as he completed 11 of 23 passes for 188 yards and a TD with two interceptions in his final high school game.

And what a career it was for Underwood, who led Belleville to Division 1 state championships during his freshman and sophomore seasons, then helped push Belleville’s winning streak to 38 games his junior year before a loss to Southfield A&T in the state final at Ford Field.

Underwood committed to LSU before a packed cafeteria in Belleville in early January and said numerous times that his commitment was solid, then took his official visit to LSU earlier this month before watching a sinking ship with the Tigers lose again and again.

Belleville coach Calvin Norman said he didn’t see Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan, despite the talk of the NIL money.

“My phone is blowing up; it’s vibrating right now, I just saw Bryce flip on ESPN,” Norman told The News Thursday night. “I haven’t heard anything from Bryce’s dad. I’m shocked because I didn’t think this would happen.”

Underwood was on a mission to get back to Ford Field and win another preseason state championship. After that, he did not speak to any members of the media, and Belleville’s coaches prevented the players from speaking to the press during the postseason.

Then the pressure of LSU’s demise and Michigan’s at-large offer had something to do with Underwood’s struggles over the past month. He was 50-4 during his career, 2-2 in his last four games, a 30-29 loss to Howell in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game and then the loss to Catholic Central.

Well, Michigan fans don’t care how Underwood’s prep career ended; they’re just looking forward to the day he runs Michigan’s offense in the Big House, which will more than likely be next fall.

The early signing period for college recruits is 4-6. December, when Underwood could make everything official by signing a national letter of intent.

Staff writer Angelique S. Chengelis contributed to this report.

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