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The Athletic ranks Michigan QB Bryce Underwood among all 136 projected starters

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Trent Knoop | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 9:22 AM ET

While Michigan football hasn't named Bryce Underwood the starting QB for the 2025 season, it's trending toward that direction. The Wolverines brought the phenom in after flipping him from LSU. The former five-star signal caller is expected to lead the charge in revamping Michigan's passing attack, which was ranked 131st in the country in 2024.

While there are major expectations surrounding the true freshman, where does Underwood rank amongst all the college quarterbacks? Recently, The Athletic ranked all 136 projected starting QBs into a tier system. They talked to over 40 coaches who gave perspective on QBs they've played against and who are supposed to be the best of the best in each respective conference.

After speaking with the coaches, The Athletic formed the list into seven tiers. Michigan's Underwood came in at No. 50 overall and in 'tier 4' -- which reads "Some are young, unproven starters with high potential; others are veterans who have flashed great talent but hit performance or injury speed bumps somewhere along the way."

Underwood is lumped into tier '4' with notable QBs such as No. 32 Julian Sayin (Ohio State), No. 33 Demond Williams (Washington), No. 40 Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), and No. 44 Aidan Chiles (Michigan State), among others.

Assuming Underwood does indeed start for Michigan, the Wolverines' first-year signal caller could race up toward the top of the list if he performs to his potential.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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