‘They’ve exchanged numbers’ - Bryce Underwood could be giving the Michigan Wolverines the inside track to another elite quarterback recruit 

A lot of folks around the Michigan program are extremely excited about true freshman five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, both his short term outlook potentially and long term future. Having an elite signal caller like Underwood can, and has, drastically increased the optimism for head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines. 

The presence of Underwood can also be a huge recruiting tool. Everyone wants to play with elite talents behind center, and that sometimes even includes other dynamic quarterbacks to create a great. We are already seeing that in the 2027 recruiting class. 

In a recent recruiting update from Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, he had the latest buzz surrounding Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham School quarterback Elijah Haven. Widely considered to be the top signal caller in the 2027 class, Michigan was one of the early schools to know that were listed. 

It appears that the Wolverines have made quite the early impression on Haven. 

“Michigan is in the national championship picture every year,” Haven’s father Kwame told Wiltfong. “Winning is important to him. He wants to not only go get developed but have a chance to win. Coach (Sherrone) Moore is cool. Michigan is also in the Big Ten. You’re playing big-time football.

“They’re intriguing with Bryce (Underwood) being the guy now. Elijah’s game is not really the same but they do share similar qualities. The couple times we’ve been there Bryce has been real cool and they’ve exchanged numbers.”

It’s still early, but there is clearly some optimism for Michigan and their chances. If Underwood is as advertised, he could end up creating a pipeline of dynamic dual threat quarterbacks in maize and blue. As Haven’s father stated, Haven and Underwood aren’t the same, but they do some things similarly. 

Getting Haven out of the Southeast isn’t going to be easy, but Michigan having some early buzz certainly doesn’t hurt anything. They may not be the betting favorite, but having a consistent presence in a recruitment is the key to being in the final group when it matters most. 

Him having a developing relationship with Underwood could also be key. The fact that it began before Underwood ever chose the Wolverines makes this a more authentic situation. 

Haven is already considered to be an elite recruit in the 2027 class by many. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, he is rated as a five-star player. For the 247Sports individual ranking, Haven is currently pegged as the top overall player and quarterback in the county for the 2027 group.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that a long list of impressive schools have been pursuing Haven heavily. Some of his top offers so far include the Tigers, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, SMU, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Houston among many, many others. 

As a sophomore, Haven put together an incredible season for the Dunham School. The 6-5, 215-pound athlete managed to throw for 3,093 yards and 37 touchdowns, while throwing just seven interceptions. Haven also rushed for another 925 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, leading the team to a 14-1 overall record and Louisiana’s Division III Selection state championship.