LSU flies to Michigan to see 5-star+ QB Bryce Underwood

LSU has the No. 1 recruiting class on the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings for the 2025 cycle, which features a commitment from the No. 1 overall prospect in America in 5-star+ quarterback Bryce Underwood.

On Friday, LSU quarterbacks coach and interim co-offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was joined by associate head coach and running backs coach Frank Wilson flew to Michigan to check in on the program’s highest-ranked commitment.

It was the staff’s first visit to see Underwood since he committed to the Tigers on January 6.

The commitment was one of the biggest in program history, and only two prospects – Leonard Fournette and Russell Shepard – carried higher ratings than Underwood at the time of signing. With a year left for the rankings and ratings to shuffle in the 2025 class, Underwood has a chance to close out his high school career as the highest-rated prospect to sign with LSU in the modern recruiting era.

Underwood, who already has a pair of state title wins under his belt, will be a senior next fall. Once Belleville’s season is complete, Underwood is expected to sign with the Tigers and enroll at LSU next January.

Underwood headlines LSU’s No. 1 ranked class

With eight total commitments, including a trio of 5-star commitments in Underwood, running back Harlem Berry and wide receiver Dakorien Moore, the Tigers are off to the fastest start of any college football team for the 2025 class.

From there, LSU has stacked up Louisiana four-star recruits in University High linebacker Keylan Moses, Sulphur tight end JD LaFleur, New Orleans Isidore Newman interior offensive lineman Brett Bordelon and New Orleans Edna Karr wide receiver TaRon Francis, with each checking in as On3’s highest-ranked prospect at their position in Louisiana. Loganville (Ga.) Grayson three-star cornerback Jaylen Bell rounds out the seven-man commitment list.

The following are thoughts from On3 National Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power.

On3 breaks down why Underwood is a “franchise 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.

The Breakdown: 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.

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.

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.