Quarterback Bryce Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan has been the talk of college Football the past week, and rightfully so — Underwood is the No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class.
Underwood could bring Michigan back to National Championship prominence. The Wolverines may have won it all in 2023, but for a program of Michigan’s stature, that’s the goal each and every year. With Michigan currently at 6-5 in 2024, Underwood represents the sense of urgency the Wolverines have to get back to the College Football Playoff.
Per 247 Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins, Underwood reminds him of former Texas Longhorns quarterback Vince Young, a player who performed at his best when the lights shined the brightest.
“Projects as a multi-year impact player for a College Football Playoff contender that has a chance to eventually emerge as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft with his tools,” Ivans said in his scouting report of Underwood.
The comparison to Young seems like a great one on the surface. Young was also a No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 overall prospect back in 2002. Young went on to win a National Championship for Texas in 2005.
Young had an incredible performance against USC in the title game, a 41-38 win where he accounted for 467 yards of total offense (267 passing, 200 rushing) with three rushing touchdowns. Young’s final score was an epic 9-yard run on fourth down with just 19 seconds left to put Texas on top. Young was the first player in NCAA FBS history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Underwood, listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds on MaxPreps, has similar measurables to Young, who was 6-foot-5, 200 pounds coming out of high school. And like Young, Underwood is a dual-threat athlete with a strong arm and penchant for picking up yards with his legs. In his senior season, Underwood threw for 2,321 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 71.8 completion percentage while rushing for 568 yards and five rushing scores.
Underwood’s mechanics do mirror Young’s at times with a three-quarter release. Underwood also makes some throws with a truncated motion and quick snap of the wrist that are still delivered with velocity. As a runner, Young was powerful with escapablity and his long strides covered a lot of ground in a hurry. When Underwood runs the ball it seems reminiscent of Young in style.
If Underwood winds up in the same stratosphere as someone like Young, who had a 30-2 career starting record at Texas, it’ll likely mean Michigan won a National Championship.
While this article highlights the similarities Underwood has to Young, Underwood’s quarterbacks coach Donovan Dooley had a couple high-profile comparisons back in 2023.
“He’s a more modernized Randall Cunningham mixed with Josh Allen,” Dooley told The Athletic in 2023. “He’s a unicorn.”
In time, perhaps Underwood will be the collegiate legend of old being compared to a future No. 1 prospect. Underwood is a season away, at the least, from his first collegiate snap, but the expectations are crystal clear — fans and scouts believe greatness is in store from the Bellveville, Michigan native.
