LSU lands a franchise talent in QB Bryce Underwood

The top ranked player in the 2025 cycle is off the board, with quarterback Bryce Underwood announcing his commitment to LSU on Saturday. The Belleville (Mich.) High standout chose the Tigers over finalists Michigan, Alabama, Colorado, Oregon and Penn State.

The commitment moves LSU up to No. 1 in the 2025 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. This caps off a huge week in LSU’s 2025 recruiting efforts as the Tigers added On3’s No. 1 ranked running back in the cycle, Harlem Berry on Wednesday.

Underwood debuted as the No. 1 overall prospect in On3’s initial 2025 On300 back in March. He now ranks as the No. 1 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, after moving to the top of two other major recruiting outlets’ 2025 rankings.

Let’s take a look at what makes the new LSU pledge such a touted prospect.

Bryce Underwood is an elite arm talent

In watching film this fall, it became apparent that Bryce Underwood‘s downfield arm is unrivaled in high school football. After going through the early seasons of top quarterbacks from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 cycles, Underwood looked to be the top pure arm talent regardless of class. When On3 tabbed him as the No. 1 prospect in 2025 10 months ago, I wrote “No current high school quarterback prospect put more high-level throws on film last fall than Bryce Underwood.” That was the case this fall, as well.

There is a legitimate ‘wow’ factor to many of Underwood’s passes. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, there’s a degree of explosion in the arm that immediately sticks out. Underwood employs considerable torque to uncoil his long arms to result in a whippy motion that produces high RPM’s on the ball. He consistently shows the ability to rip throws 60+ yards downfield. Far hash throws look routine. He’s able to reset and quickly launch passes downfield in the face of pressure.

Underwood’s arm strength is such that he’s able to deliver high-difficulty throws without his feet being set. One throw in particular from Belleville’s first round playoff game stands out. While working off of a play action fake, Underwood turned around to find two free runners baring down. He quickly gathered and fired a cross-field throw from the far hash to a receiver on the opposite boundary. The defensive backs were caught off guard and for good reason – it’s a preposterous throw. There’s maybe 100 quarterbacks currently capable of completing that pass in a game and most of them are in the NFL.

That type of arm talent allows Underwood to access all areas of the field on any play, generating substantial stress on defenses and seemingly limitless opportunities for an offense.

Athletic and developmental upside

Bryce Underwood has several markers that point to a high upside in addition to the pure arm talent. For one, he’s a good athlete. Underwood’s movement skills, both within and outside of structure stack up very well with most other top quarterback prospects – particularly those who are identified early in the process. He shows good play speed and has been a dangerous and productive rusher when called upon. Underwood is certainly a pass-first signal caller, but he’s capable of picking up chunk yardage when the play breaks down.

In addition to the rushing ability, Underwood is coordinated and controlled within his drops. The movement skills within the pocket to avoid the pass rush is advanced for this stage.

There are several markers that point to a level of developmental upside with Underwood that far exceeds most underclassman quarterbacks who were on the national radar early on. Unlike many others, he does not appear to be topped out. There are areas for improvement, despite him already playing at a very high level. In addition to the physical gifts, Underwood is also young for the cycle. He should technically be a 2026 prospect and doesn’t turn 17 years-old until August.

Bryce Underwood’s strong on-field resume

While Bryce Underwood is a high upside physical talent, he’s also quite accomplished as a high school football player. Through three seasons at Belleville, he’s compiled a 40-2 record as a starter en route to two state titles. A great year as a senior capped off with another state title would have to make him one of the more accomplished high school players the state of Michigan has seen.

As a junior in 2023, Underwood completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,329 yards and 41 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He added 199 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. He’s accounted for 138 touchdowns through his first three seasons of high school football.

LSU recruiting at an elite level in 2025

Bryce Underwood becomes the centerpiece for an LSU class that features the No. 1 prospect at quarterback, running back (Harlem Berry) and wide receiver (Dakorien Moore) in the 2025 cycle. In pairing Underwood with Berry and Moore – it’s safe to say the Tigers are assembling a nucleus of skill talent that is capable of competing for national championships.

It’s also worth noting LSU fielded one of the nation’s top offensive lines in 2023 and figures to keep stocking that position under offensive line coach Brad Davis. The Tigers have also brought in several high upside mismatches at tight end, including 2024 signee Trey’Dez Green.

Having Bryce Underwood as the trigger man in an offensive with that type of speed and mismatch ability at the skill spots sets LSU up to have a unit with the talent to potentially rival what we’ve seen from the offenses helmed by Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.

Moving forward

While Bryce Underwood is the clear frontrunner at No. 1 overall in the 2025 cycle, it’s worth noting that it is still early in the process. Like any prospect, Underwood will need to continue to develop and show progress as a senior.

Despite all his on-field success, there are areas to grow. While he was efficient and productive, Underwood did not see an extremely high usage rate as a junior, as Belleville was often content to run the ball with Michigan commit Jeremiah Beasley in many games. Many opponents were overmatched with several games being out of reach by halftime. From a developmental standpoint, Underwood could stand to see a bigger load placed on his shoulders, particularly as an individual playmaker and run threat. The best way to hone playmaking and improvisational skills is during live games. Expanding the load placed on his shoulders at the high school level will bank critical playmaking reps to carry into college.

With that said, there is no denying Underwood’s talent or on-field resume. The new LSU pledge is one of the most talented underclassmen quarterback prospects we’ve seen in several cycles. With continued development, Bryce Underwood has the potential to continue the recent tradition of explosive offenses and elite quarterback play in Baton Rouge.