Davis Warren describes initial impressions of Bryce Underwood

Michigan‘s Bryce Underwood isn’t wasting any time getting acquainted with his fellow Wolverines. The 2025 five-star+ signee — the consensus No. 1 overall recruit nationally — began practicing with the team on Dec. 19 and took the trip to Tampa, Fla., for the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Evidently, it hasn’t taken long for Underwood to stand out to his teammates. On Saturday, Michigan QB Davis Warren revealed his initial impressions of Underwood.

“He’s been great,” Warren said. “He wants to learn, wants to get better. Obviously, the college game is different and you got to adjust, and there’s a lot of things you got to do differently. I learned that coming in, me and JJ [McCarthy] working through a lot of those things together.

“I know Bryce is going to have to do the same but he’s coming with the right mindset and the right mentality. Just really is excited to be in here every day and has a passion about getting better at football. So, that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen out of him and I know he’s gonna keep doing that. He has great initiative.”

It’s not a surprise to hear rave reviews about Underwood coming out of Michigan. After all, the incoming freshman was the highest-rated signee for the program in nearly a decade.

Underwood officially signed with the Wolverines in December after shocking the world by flipping his commitment to Michigan on Nov. 21. Underwood had been committed to LSU since Jan. 6.

However, Michigan never gave up on Underwood, staying in touch until the very end. It didn’t hurt that Underwood’s high school is only a 30-minute drive from Michigan Stadium. Moreover, Michigan reportedly offered Underwood a NIL deal north of $10.5 million, according to On3’s The Wolverine.

Davis isn’t the only one who’s praised Underwood after spending the past couple weeks with him.

“The biggest thing I would say about him is great spirit, great energy, committed to learning what we’ve got going on,” Michigan interim offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Steve Casula said. “He’s doing really good. He’s great. Great personality. He’s funny.

“I watch him, depending on the schedule, he walks by my office in the mornings. He’s one of the first guys in the building, so he’s been awesome.”

While Bryce Underwood won’t be on the field as Michigan squares off against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, he will have an opportunity to learn from the sideline. The Wolverines and Crimson Tide will face off at noon ET on New Year’s Eve. The game will air live on ESPN.