Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Paul Finebaum Names Star Freshman QB Who is a 'Can't Miss' Prospect

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated May 18, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The 2025 college football season is just a few months away, bringing with it several highly anticipated quarterback prospects who will become full-time starters for the first time in their careers.

Players like Arch Manning from the Texas Longhorns, Ty Simpson from the Alabama Crimson Tide and Julian Sayin from the Ohio State Buckeyes are expected to take on these starting roles this season. Another quarterback to watch is Bryce Underwood from the Michigan Wolverines. The five-star recruit and top player in the 2025 recruiting class chose to play for Michigan after previously committing to the LSU Tigers.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum remarked that while the term "can't-miss prospect" is often used for five-star quarterbacks, he believes Underwood truly fits that description.

"I think Underwood is, like a couple of other freshmen that we've heard about, the potential to be can't miss," Finebaum said. "That's a word that gets thrown around a lot with five-star quarterbacks, but he looks like can't miss."

Underwood joins a quarterback room that struggled significantly last season. The Wolverines utilized three quarterbacks, who collectively amassed 1,655 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. As a result, their offense was among the worst in football, ranking No. 129 in total offense, No. 130 in passing offense and No. 113 in scoring offense.

Alex Orji transferred to the UNLV Rebels following the season, and Jack Tuttle graduated, leaving only Davis Warren on the team.

Underwood had an inconsistent performance during the spring game, completing 12-of-26 passes for 187 yards. His most notable play was an 88-yard pass to tight end Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker.

In addition to his passing, Underwood faced challenges, including recovering his fumble, committing a pair of delay-of-game penalties, making several inaccurate throws and dropping some passes. He lost 12 yards on two sacks but gained 17 yards on three rushing attempts.

Michigan is set to open the season against New Mexico on August 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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