Wolverine TV: Breaking down five impact early enrollees for Michigan

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland breaks down five key 2025 signees enrolling early at Michigan, including five-star Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Watch the full video at the end of this story.

Underwood Recruitment

Michigan offered Underwood when he was still in middle school and made him a top priority before ultimately bowing out of his recruitment last fall.

The Wolverines landed On300 Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quarterback Carter Smith, while Underwood gave LSU a verbal pledge just a couple of months later. Smith, however, backed off of his pledge when U-M began to show interest in Underwood this fall.

Michigan turned up the heat on Underwood and put a competitive NIL offer on the table. That ultimately led to the Wolverines earning his verbal pledge in November. Underwood signed with U-M earlier this month.

Here is what Holland had to say about Underwood.

“The package they put together is worth millions of dollars,” Holland said. “Obviously, that is a lot of money and is the biggest reason Underwood started listening to Michigan. LSU impressed him on his official visit and also worked the NIL angle hard. Still, Michigan was not going to be beat. They went completely against their nature and did everything they could to win him over. Now, the Wolverines have the best player in the county as part of their 2025 class. It’s a historic win for Michigan.”

Underwood is ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Michigan has 23 commits in its 2025 recruiting class — five-star Belleville (Mich.) High quarterback Bryce Underwood, five-star Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, Top 100 Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick EDGE Nate Marshall, Top 100 Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale cornerback Shamari Earls, Top 100 Monroe (N.C.) High safety Jordan Young, Top 100 Katy (Texas) Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, On300 Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga defensive back Kainoa Winston, On300 Alpharetta (Ga.) High EDGE Julius Holly, On300 Kilgore (Texas) High cornerback Jayden Sanders, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw wide receiver Jacob Washington, On300 Newburgh (Ind.) Castle defensive lineman Benny Patterson, On300 New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy running back Donovan Johnson, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, three-star Howell (Mich.) High defensive lineman Bobby Kanka, three-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn, three-star Stockbridge (Ga.) High linebacker Chase Taylor, three-star Lake Worth (Fla.) Santaluces wide receiver Jamar Browder, three-star Louisville (Ky.) Fern Creek defensive lineman Travis Moten, three-star Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier quarterback Chase Herbstreit and three-star Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Owens.

The class is ranked No. 9 nationally and No. 3 in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry national team recruiting rankings. The Wolverines currently sit behind Ohio State and Oregon.