It won’t be long before Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s biggest project, takes his first snap on the field. The program has the best player in the 2025 class under their roof. This is why Underwood has overwhelming expectations riding on his shoulders. He represents both the “great unknown” and “great hope” for Michigan. According to Yahoo. Can the much-touted QB display live up to them this season? Or is he slated to disappoint his fans? Josh Pate weighs in.

Underwood is credited with a career consisting of 12,919 all-purpose yards, 11,488 passing yards, and 179 total touchdowns. Those numbers make his case for him being the No. 1 prospect of the 2025 class, in all aspects. He comes with a 38-game winning streak from his high school days and is expected to wow the crowds with his exceptional arm strength. But let’s not forget: Underwood is just 17. All of this pressure must be affecting the QB in some way. Moreover, his spring game performance was a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses, which stands to change Michigan’s odds in the season.

Josh Pate, therefore, ranked Michigan as the No. 19 team, after spring ball observations, in his top 20 list. He said in his podcast about Underwood, “The quarterback picture obviously, first and foremost, is still hazy. If it’s Underwood, how good is he immediately?” The QB made some error throws, and some high passes could’ve been interceptions. He finished 12 for 25 with 187 yards at the end of the scrimmage. Pate added, “They go to Oklahoma [in] week two. So, if it’s him, we’ll find out. Always loved young quarterbacks having to face Brent Venables on the road. That’s always a fun recipe.”

Bryce Underwood, if named QB1, will face a strong defense in Oklahoma. It’s a big game, and his age and lack of experience in CFB can stand to be a problem. If the QB and a much more developed Michigan offense can break the defense at Norman, the program’s trajectory will see a major achievement. The Wolverines, under Sherrone Moore, are fighting to reclaim their lost glory that they saw with former HC Jim Harbaugh. With Moore gone temporarily, there are more woes plaguing the program.

Sherrone Moore’s punishment poses a grave danger for Michigan

Michigan is still reeling from the catastrophic after-effects of the sign-stealing scandal. Moore was directly linked with it, and was proven guilty. The reports showed he deleted 52 messages between him and Connor Stalions. As a result of that, the NCAA is barring him from two games in the season, against Central Michigan and Nebraska. However, Moore’s absence isn’t so much of a problem. The aftershocks of the scandal are costing networks and other stakeholders big time.

Josh Pate said in another episode of his podcast, said, “The NCAA is powerful enough to diminish their value as an asset, and there’s only one way to do that: remove postseason participation.” However, if this hypothetical situation is dragged out for a few years, Michigan will be doomed. This move will be “diminishing and diluting their value as an asset that multiple networks have paid billions of dollars for,” Pate theorized. Michigan is the Big 10’s conference juggernaut (or they were, until 2023). Networks like FOX, ESPN, and NBC have big money riding on the program for broadcasting their games. And these bans and punishments continue to inflict more damage on Michigan’s brand power.

Michigan’s 2023 championship game, which was allegedly won “fair and square,” marked the end of the school’s heyday. The sign-stealing scandal is continuing to knock down more pillars, in a classic example of the domino effect. This is where Bryce Underwood factors in, who has become the unofficial face of the program. If he can charm the crowds with his No.1-worthy talents, maybe Michigan can finally begin a new chapter under Sherrone Moore.