Michigan spring ball: QB Bryce Underwood 'throwing dots all around practice'

Michigan Wolverines football sophomore running back Jordan Marshall was asked which players are standing out through four spring practices. The first one he mentioned: freshman early enrollee quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Marshall, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back, said the competition at quarterback has been great, and he named a couple wide receivers who have been impressing.

“Obviously, on our side, the quarterback,” Marshall said. “Bryce — he’s a beast. [Sophomore quarterback] Jadyn [Davis is] balling out, too. Just to see them compete and have a brotherhood — they’re so tight — I love to see it. That’s what you come to Michigan for — to compete against the best, and they do that every single day. 

“[Graduate wide receiver] Donovan McCulley from Indiana has been balling out. [Junior wideout] Fred[rick Moore] had a great winter cycle. I’m just excited to see them.

“And then the defense just reloads. The defense is so good. To go against them every day in practice, it’s unreal. You go against the best defense in the country.”

Marshall enrolled last summer but was ready out of the box, earning kick return snaps in non-conference play before suffering a lower-body injury that held him out of most of the year and forced him to redshirt. But when Marshall got his chance, he broke out with a 100-yard performance in Michigan’s 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Underwood, meanwhile, has the benefit of extra time getting acclimated. He practiced with the team ahead of the bowl game, went through the winter training cycle and is four spring practices in.

“He reminds me a lot of myself when I came in as a freshman,” Marshall noted. “He puts his head down and he works. 

“When he came in for the bowl prep, he didn’t say much. He came in and worked. And now he’s got that confidence, that swag that we all were looking for, that the quarterback is supposed to have.

“You love to see that when the quarterback has that swag. You saw that with [former Michigan quarterback] J.J. [McCarthy], with all the greats that came through here. You see that swag, and I love watching him play ball. He’s wise. He knows football. His IQ is next level, and I’m excited to play with a player like that.”

Underwood has been impressive from the perspective of the defense, too. Senior EDGE Derrick Moore, a team leader, has seen Underwood look wise beyond his years.

“There isn’t really too much to talk about, man,” Moore said. “I get that question asked a lot. Bryce has looked like a guy. He looks like he’s been in college. He’s looking good out there. His ball placement is crazy. He’s been throwing dots all around practice lately.

“He just looks relaxed and comfortable, like he’s been doing this. I’m really excited for him going into this year, just for everybody to see what he can show as a freshman.”

A Belleville (Mich.) High product, Underwood stands 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, physically imposing even at his position. His athleticism and stature poses problems for defenses, and Moore said Michigan’s has already been challenged by it.

“It affects it a lot,” Moore said of going against bigger quarterbacks. “Playing against a big quarterback, there are a lot of things that go into that. You gotta practice how we gotta tackle this quarterback, how we can get to him and things like that.

“But he can also run. He’s run around a little bit on us. Now that’s tied into it. Alright, he’s a good quarterback, physical quarterback. He can throw the ball, run around, so now we gotta find ways to tackle him all together — not just one guy. We all gotta get to him. There’s a lot of thought that goes into it.”