5-star+ QB Bryce Underwood locks in another LSU visit

LSU 5-star+ quarterback commit Bryce Underwood and his family are set to fly from Michigan to Louisiana this week for another Baton Rouge visit, he tells The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon.

One year after camping in Tiger Stadium, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class will be back in action as Underwood gears up to throw at LSU’s Friday Night Lights camp session on Friday.

Underwood remains the top overall recruit this cycle on the On3 Industry Rankings, and he’s joined by Louisiana’s Harlem Berry, the No. 1 running back in the 2025 class, as LSU’s two 5-star commitments.

Underwood committed to LSU offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and the Tigers on January 6, an announcement that came a month after LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels took home the Heisman Trophy.

Since then, Underwood has made multiple visits to LSU’s campus, and he hasn’t made any recruiting trips to visit other programs since getting on board with the Tigers.

The No. 1 QB in America is locked in on the Tigers

The No. 1 overall prospect on the On3 Industry Rankings arrived in Nashville for the On3 Elite Series a month ago, which brought more than 40 of the nation’s top recruits and their parents together for a multi-day event focused on educating and informing high school athletes how to safely and successfully navigate the NIL era – which includes speakers that include former college and professional athletes, marketing executives, legal and financial experts, and other relevant voices in the space.

Underwood, the highest-ranked prospect at the event, didn’t waste any time doubling down on the strength of his pledge to LSU.

Upon arrival, Underwood prepped for his photo shoot by thumbing through a collection of college hats. The picks: the trio of LSU hats that sat on the table.

“I couldn’t hold the third one because I had to hold up the L,” Underwood said with a smile.

For the top quarterback in America, the decision to leave Michigan and choose LSU over offers from the Who’s Who of college football programs was one that had been on his mind long before he became a nationally-coveted recruit.

“Honestly, LSU was my dream school since I was 12 or 13,” Underwood told The Bengal Tiger, adding that an early trip to Baton Rouge helped seal the deal before he announced his commitment to the public.

“Me having the opportunity to see what all the hype was about, and everything I always dreamed about, just going there and actually visiting and seeing what I had in store for the next 4 years in my life. That was probably the moment that I realized ‘this is it’.”

LSU finished with the No. 1 ranked offense in college football this past season, and the program has turned out a pair of Heisman Trophy winners across the past five seasons. And while Joe Burrow went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, followed by Jayden Daniels coming off the board as the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, it wasn’t the trophies or high picks that pushed him towards the Tigers the most.

Instead, Underwood said the turning point with LSU came while watching offensive coordinator Joe Sloan help develop Daniels from his time at Arizona State until he departed campus in Baton Rouge.

“I had just seen the growth in Jayden Daniels from when he got there, and how he became what he is now,” Underwood said. “The development portion of it was the thing that influenced me and actually pushed it over the hump of me getting there and committing there.”

Underwood said he’s grown even closer to Sloan since committing to the Tigers as LSU’s quarterback in the 2025 class, and Sloan’s promotion from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator this offseason gives the 5-star+ quarterback prospect even more confidence in his decision.

“Everything isn’t just football with me and Coach Sloan,” Underwood said. “We talk about family and school and stuff like that. Just with that, and it not being all football – because I know it will be that when I get there – just him worrying about my family is important to me, as well.”

Since committing to the Tigers, Underwood has visited LSU multiple times, but he’s yet to step foot on another college campus and said he’s shut down talks with other coaching staffs.

While some prospects commit and continue to explore options, Underwood is taking the only approach he knows.

“What is the point of committing if you are not ready to be committed?,” he said. “Worry about the school you are committed to. That’s mainly what it is. If you are committed to a school, stay committed to a school. Don’t commit too early, commit when you feel like it’s right.”

With LSU battling Ohio State for the No. 1 class on the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, and the Tigers holding commitments from the No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 running back (Harlem Berry), Underwood said he has taken a balanced approach to recruiting wide receivers to join him in Baton Rouge – both making his pitch while also giving top prospects on LSU’s board space to make their own college choice.

“I do a little bit of both,” Underwood said. “I don’t want to be like ‘come here, come here, come here,’ because you will have your own thoughts on things. I don’t want to push you in a direction or force you, because that will push you away. I am letting those guys do what they do and be the best they can be, because all I want is the greatest out of everybody.”

For Underwood, the path led to LSU, and the Michigan native said the vibe around Baton Rouge and the Tigers fits perfectly when it comes to his personality and approach to life.

“It’s a little low-down, laidback type of vibe,” he said. “And it’s about football. And that’s what I am about.”

Underwood plans to enroll early at LSU, meaning he steps foot on campus in January and will be part of spring football next offseason.

The goal: to prove the hype is backed up by his talents.

“Honestly, to show what I am there for,” Underwood said of his college goals. “Keep the main goal the main goal. My main goal is to be a No. 1 draft pick in the NFL, and be a Hall of Famer, as well. I am going to keep my main goals in my head as long as I’m pushing through it.”

His message to LSU fans?

“Be ready. That’s it,” he said. “Geaux Tigers.”

Underwood shares his take on the NIL era, remaining committed to LSU

(The following is a story from On3 College Sports Business & Transfer Portal Reporter Pete Nakos)

As top recruits flocked to campuses this weekend for official visits, Bryce Underwood stayed home in Belleville, Michigan. 

The nation’s No. 1 prospect and top-ranked quarterback has no plans to pit schools against each other for a crazy NIL package in June, like other top quarterbacks historically have. As a Five-Star Plus+ LSU commit, he’s locked in with the Tigers. In the era of NIL and booster-funded NIL collectives, it’s rare to see Underwood not take any visits to other schools this month. 

“It’s mainly about what I’m trying to get to,” he said at the On3 Elite Series. “My main goal is the NFL, first draft pick. Money is going to be the last thing I’m thinking about until I get to the league.

“Just keep the main thing, the main thing.”

Thanks to a close relationship with quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan, Underwood feels comfortable about the plan in place in Baton Rouge. As a high schooler in Michigan, he cannot turn a profit off his NIL. He picked the Tigers over the top programs in the country, including in-state Michigan. 

Underwood isn’t making NIL factor the main decision in his recruitment. Underwood and fellow five-star commit Harlem Berry also cleared up the notion that LSU is lacking in the NIL department. Underwood’s father, Jaquan Underwood admitted they’ve had “silly” cash thrown at the family once, but that was clearly a one-time moment and not a trend. 

“You know what, we have encountered that just one time,” Jaquan Underwood said with a laugh. “But it was pretty funny because they did it out of panic mode, but other than that it’s been a great process just to keep him grounded and keep him working.

“I don’t want to get it twisted, money is a huge deal. At the same time again, man, it’s about Bryce being able to turn his dreams into goals. So whatever field he goes in football, sports, man, I’m great with it as long as long as he’s happy.”

The 6-foot-4, 214-pound quarterback could technically be a 2026 prospect, but he’s completing school early as part of the 2025 class. Underwood won’t even turn 17 until August. He’s been ranked as On3’s No. 1 prospect and No. 1 2025 quarterback for the past 15 months.

Underwood threw for 3,329 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season, completing 64.9% of his attempts and throwing just three interceptions while leading Bellville to the Division 1 state title game. That was enough to be named 2023 Michigan football Gatorade Player of the Year.

Jaquan Underwood told On3 that his son has not signed with an agent yet, and that will likely become a goal at the end of this upcoming high school season. He also noted that like most top prospects, they’ve certainly had agents tracking them down to sign them as representation. Throughout the recruiting process, Underwood and his family would show up to LSU unannounced to try and catch the staff “off guard,” as Jaquan Underwood said.

Every time the Tigers delivered, even when they were not expecting Bryce Underwood. With nearly 100,000 social media followers, the Five-Star Plus+ quarterback will certainly have NIL value to brands when he arrives in Baton Rouge. 

“We try to put the cash in the back of the whole situation because whatever his dreams are, we want him to live those out,” Jaquan Underwood said. “The money is going to come when he’s just living his dreams.”

Bryce Underwood learned from other’s NIL mistakes

At last week’s On3 Elite Series, players heard from speakers about what they need to be wary of as they go through the recruiting process. One of the top concerns for top recruits in the 2025 class when it comes to NIL is the potential for broken promises.

Specifically, the $13.85 million deal that fell apart between Florida and four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada. The highly publicized, NIL-fueled breakup is now at the center of a lawsuit. Watching how the saga has played out has made Bryce Underwood aware of whatever he chooses to do in NIL.

“Honestly, just keeping my name clean [is a priority],” Underwood said. “Just focusing on what my main goal is [the NFL] and keep everything out of the way. … LSU, honestly, just keeps building and building the process of their players. The growth I’ve seen the last couple of years in Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier and now Colin Hurley. Just seeing the growth of them is bringing me closer and closer [to LSU].”