In an interview with On3’s J.D. Pickell, highlighted by Sports Illustrated Michigan’s true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood shared an extremely powerful message ahead of their critical road matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers:
“Just remembering that I’m blessed, honestly. Just thanking God for being in the position I am,” Underwood said. “Because no matter what, we wouldn’t be in this position without God, honestly. I’ve prayed for moments like this, I pray for the mental strength and physical strength to be the best and perform the best I possibly can.”
Underwood offered a very strong perspective on handling the pressures that come with being a true freshman quarterback in the spotlight at one of college football’s premier programs.
The former five-star recruit went on to explain his mindset throughout the week, detailing how he’s prepared for the matchup and how he plans to stay ready:
“Just do what I do every single day going into the game,” said Underwood. “Be the best me at practice, leading our team, keeping our energy up during practice—that’s our main goal. Being the most connected team, being a team. Individual stats isn’t really the main thing or thought process going into games. It’s about being the most connected team, bringing each other together and being the best we can possibly be.”
This week’s interview highlighted Underwood’s leadership and showed his maturity at such a young age.
Underwood’s Start to the Season
It has been an up-and-down start to Underwood’s freshman campaign. He struggled on the road against Oklahoma, completing only nine of his 24 passes in Michigan’s 24-13 loss to the Sooners.
Underwood bounced back last week completing 68% of his passes for 251 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines 63-3 win over New Mexico. The dual-threat quarterback also flashed his rushing ability in Week 1, rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
While the numbers highlight his growth, the real story has been Underwood’s composure. Even in tough moments, he’s shown the ability to reset quickly, make adjustments, and put his team in position to succeed. With each week, the Wolverines have opened the playbook a little more, signaling growing trust in their young quarterback. Now, as Michigan heads into its Big Ten slate, Underwood will face his biggest test yet in a hostile Lincoln environment against Nebraska.
Underwood has put more and more emphasis on his leadership as the season has gone on:
“I would say being a better leader vocally,” Underwood said. “I feel like coming in, of course, (I was thinking) who wants to listen to a freshman? Until I realized the quarterback is the leader of the team, he is the captain of the team even without the “C” on his chest. So, just that being my main thing now going into every single snap, every single play, every single second of the game is the biggest shift and biggest mindset change for me.”
Michigan’s 2025 Outlook
Michigan travels to Lincoln for a huge game against 3-0 Nebraska. Underwood will look to lean on that composure in an extremely hostile environment.
After winning the national championship in 2023, Michigan went 8-5 last season in Sherrone Moore’s first year as head coach. There were still bright spots, including a statement win over Ohio State and a bowl victory against Alabama.
The Wolverines are aiming to build on the momentum they found late last season while continuing to develop their true freshman phenom at quarterback.
With Bryce Underwood at the helm, Michigan enters its Big Ten slate looking not just for growth, but for defining wins that could shape the future of the program.