On3's No. 1 recruit, in-state QB Bryce Underwood, is a 'unicorn' and must-land for Michigan

A little more than a year ago, Bryce Underwood was fresh off winning his first state championship as a high school freshman.

At the time, Underwood was just 14 years old, and yet, he played beyond his years, passing for 284 yards and five touchdowns to go along with 62 yards rushing and another score en route to leading Belleville (Mich.) High to a 55-33 win over Rochester (Mich.) Adams in the Michigan DI state title game.  

Just a month later, Underwood was back at a local field house — about 35 miles west of Detroit — to get in his weekly work in with private quarterbacks coach Donovan Dooley, founder of the esteemed Quarterback University. After a late night session, Dooley was asked to compare Underwood to a past or present NFL quarterback.

Without hesitation, Dooley replied ‘Vince Young.’

The reporter smirked, which is pretty understandable. Young, after all, was the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country, led Texas to a national championship and is widely considered one of the greatest college football players of all-time. Young was a generational talent and a unicorn.

Fast forward a year later, and those descriptors are now being used for Underwood, who was just named On3’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Underwood has gotten bigger and better and even has another state championship under his belt. You won’t hear many complaining about him being the cream of the crop next cycle.

As the kids these days like to say, Underwood is ‘him.’ While he may not have the same playing style as Young, it has become increasingly clear that Underwood is the same caliber prospect and has the potential to be just as legendary.

“I would call him a mixed pit,” Dooley said after retracting his Young comparison. “What I mean by that is he’s a blended dog. He has the suddenness of Lamar Jackson, the savviness of DeShaun Watson in terms of pocket navigation and the ability to find power from any platform like Aaron Rodgers. That’s who Bryce is. Bryce is a unicorn. He’s a generational talent.

“We talk about him being a combination of all those guys, but this guy is Bryce Underwood. People are going to have to compare themselves to him down the road. I think he’s a first round pick.”

Don’t think for one second that Underwood is going to let the rankings, player comparisons and attention distract him from his ultimate goal.

Unlike most high-profile recruits, Underwood doesn’t care for the limelight and social media attention. He’s just here to play ball. That’s why he works in the shadows with Dooley every week and is always finding a way to keep active. Underwood has had the same dog mentality since he was a soft-spoken eighth grader.

“We raised our pom poms but put them down very fast,” Dooley said. “He’s very deserving of (the No. 1 ranking) because of the body of work. But what people don’t see is his work ethic and infectious leadership. They don’t see his grades and how he dominates the classroom. He’s lost two coaches and is still corralling the team and keeping guys together and holding personal workouts. On3 made a sound decision, making him the No. 1 player in the country. I think he’s the No. 1 player in the country regardless of class.

“That may be a little lofty, but when you look at his ceiling and things he can do, he’s a game changer and a program changer. Whoever gets Bryce Underwood will essentially have a pro. When I asked him ‘what’s your end game?’ he told me ‘I want to be in the Hall of Fame.’ He didn’t say win a National Championship or win a Super Bowl. He said he wants to be in the Hall of Fame. His work ethic shows that.”

Complacency won’t be an issue, either.

Yes, Underwood has already won multiple state titles and earned a five-star ranking. No, there isn’t much else he has to prove. But no quarterback is perfect. Underdwood knows that. So does Dooley. When the two team up in the lab, they always nitpick and strive to find even the most minor imperfections.

“Bryce can sometimes get in his own way in terms of believing he’s Superman,” Dooley said. “He believes he can win with every throw. That’s the competitor in him. But he can also win with process. Bryce had a 68 percent completion percentage, which is good. He doesn’t turn over the football. But Bryce needs to win with process. Kyle Short is my right hand man, and we work 2-3 days a week — from the cerebral acumen component to not overstriding to base and balance and just being very intentional with his body of work.

“Some of these guys work on off schedule throws. Bryce always tells people ‘if I let a pit bull go, I don’t have to tell you how to get away from that pit. You’re going to move.’ That’s what the pocket is. It’s going to change, so we’re working on timing throws, getting the ball out of his hand and having a variety of pitches. Bryce is a passer and is going to continue to ascend. We work on small details. Bryce never stops.”

Have we mentioned that Underwood is just 15 years old!?

Underwood could literally be part of the 2026 recruiting class. In an era where reclassifying down has been popular — especially for quarterbacks — to gain an athletic advantage, Underwood did the exact opposite. He started school early and dominated the competition.

“He’s been playing older kids his whole life,” Dooley said. “He just looks like a man. His body looks like somebody drew him. He looks like an action figure. He’s 208 pounds and still has two years of high school left. He’s just 15 years old, and he looks like a pretty ass Kentucky Derby horse (laughs).”

Underwood isn’t much of a talker, but you can just feel that quiet confidence when you interact with him. Most high-profile quarterbacks want to be the only signal-caller in their respective recruiting classes and look at which quarterbacks are coming in ahead of them.

Not Underwood.

Michigan, for example, is expected to land a verbal pledge from Top 100 2024 quarterback Jadyn Davis this week. Underwood won’t care. Michigan will continue to be a player in his recruitment. The same goes for any other school bringing in a highly touted quarterback this cycle.

“Bryce is confident within his craft and process,” Dooley said. “Every coach he talks to that says ‘hey, we have this cat coming in.’ Bryce literally looks them in the eyes and says ‘it doesn’t matter, coach, he has to beat me out.’ He believes in best man wins the job. He never shies away from competition.”

As expected, the five-star prospect has an impressive offer sheet with the likes of Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas all vying for his services.

Michigan will do its best to keep Underwood home. Last cycle, the Wolverines saw five-star in-state quarterback Dante Moore head west and sign with UCLA. Michigan took an all your eggs in one basket approach in that recruitment and failed.

The Wolverines won’t make the same mistake twice. Michigan is recruiting an array of the nation’s top 2025 signal-callers, including prospect like Cutter Boley and Ryan Montgomery. But make no mistake about it — Underwood, who has visited on multiple occasions this offseason, is the ultimate prize.

“This is a critical and pivotal moment for Michigan,” Dooley said. “If Michigan gets Bryce Underwood, it would change the trajectory of their recruiting, and you may be looking at a 2-3-year national powerhouse in terms of winning and getting players that may go to Alabama or Georgia because of his influence.

“Michigan has never had a quarterback like Bryce Underwood. I think he’s building a strong, strong relationship with Coach (Kirk) Campbell. If they keep doing what they are doing, I think they are going to have a legitimate shot at getting Bryce.”