“WE WANT ONE MORE “: Michigan QB signee Bryce Underwood will start with Michigan on Tue,31 Dec due to

Michigan gets first glimpse of QB Bryce Underwood: ‘He’s a competitor’

Thursday marked the first day quarterback Bryce Underwood could suit up for Michigan and practice.

The five-star prospect and No. 1-ranked player in the class was admitted to the school earlier in the week, paving the way for him to finally join his teammates on the field. And while Underwood was limited by NCAA rules governing a slow ramp up (today, practicing without pads), early returns from those who interacted with him were seemingly positive.

With a joke or two mixed in.

“We were just trying to help Bryce find his helmet today,” a laughing Davis Warren said.

In all seriousness, Warren praised the 6-foot-4, 208-pound Underwood, a star at nearby Belleville High School, for his humble nature and desire to learn. Those are traits those who know Underwood best have used to describe the 17-year-old quarterback, lured to Michigan with a multi-million dollar name, image and likeness package.

“He’s a great kid, first and foremost. Loves football, and you can tell he’s a competitor,” Warren said. “I think it’s a little bit of a beautiful thing, the way he came in versus the way I came in.”

Head coach Sherrone Moore has been reluctant to publicly lay out the plan for Underwood, who could be in the mix to start as a true freshman in 2025, but the deck has been cleared internally for it to happen. Michigan fired former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks Kirk Campbell a day before Underwood signed, and since then reserve quarterbacks Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal have entered the NCAA transfer portal.

More: Sherrone Moore details next steps for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

While Underwood is practicing, he’s not eligible to play in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, leaving the Wolverines with Warren and true freshman Jadyn Davis as their only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Underwood and Chase Herbstreit, the son of high-profile football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, will add to the room for the 2025 season — and Michigan is continuing its search for an experienced quarterback via the transfer portal.

“He’s just a guy that wants to get better, wants to improve, knows he’s got a lot to learn,” Warren said. “Just like any freshman would. But he’s been great. Today was really his first day rolling with us. He wants to help this team win games, just like I did. Just like everyone in this building wants to.”

Tight end Marlin Klein, set to take over for the departing Colston Loveland next season, said he sought out highlight videos of Underwood when it was clear he was headed to Michigan. What he saw was “elite talent” and a prospect who could push the envelope at quarterback in 2025.