Earlier in the college football season, amid struggles from the Michigan football team. Barstool owner Dave Portnoy laid out his plan to get the Wolverines an elite quarterback during an episode of the Barstool Pick Em' Podcast. He said that he would pay 2-3 million to land an elite QB. Then, in mid-November, Michigan saw a huge spike in NIL money, and they landed the top QB and top player in the 2025 recruiting class, Bryce Underwood.

Bryce Underwood had been committed to LSU for a while, but he flipped to the Michigan football team after the intense pursuit from the Wolverines. Dave Portnoy recently shared the story of how it all went down.

“I saw I was trending worldwide when it happened,” Portnoy said. “I think when it was all the way up to nine, everyone's like, ‘Oh my god, Dave got Michigan Bryce Underwood,' and it all stemmed from the pick 'em. When we were just talking, I said, you know, I'm going to get us quarterback, and I'll put my own money, two to 3 million, into this thing, and I'll make sure we have a quarterback and this will never happen again. That started the ball rolling on what will be known forever as the renaissance of Michigan.”

At first, Portnoy didn't want anything to do with the donor that wanted to talk to him. Then, he found out who it was, and that changed everything.

“I got a call from the Michigan football team, right? And they said, ‘Hey, there's this donor who wants to talk to you.' I said, ‘I'm doing this myself,'” Portnoy said. “‘I don't need to talk to anybody.' ‘Please, this woman's a big fan of barstool, big fan of you. She'd love to talk to you. Her name is Jolin.' Like, ‘All right, yeah, listen, I'm working on a quarterback. I'm studying the field. What are we going to do?' They said, ‘Oh, her husband, by the way, is a guy by the name of Larry Ellison. You ever heard of him?' I said, ‘Larry Ellison, like, the number two richest guy on the planet? Yeah, I'll take that phone call.'”

Dave Portnoy talked to Larry Ellison, but the more important member of the call was Ellison's wife, Jolin Ellison. Ellison is a huge Michigan fan, and she doesn't like it when the Wolverines are down.

Article Continues Below
More NCAA Football News
Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) jumps into the arms of head coach Kenny Dillingham after the the Sun Devils upset the (16) Utah Utes 27-19 at Mountain America Stadium.
Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham makes ‘blue blood’ claim after 2024 successLorenzo J Reyna ·
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin gives a thumbs up while walking off the field after the game of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Ole Miss defeated Duke 52-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin loses 2-way athlete armed with 22 offersLorenzo J Reyna ·
It's time that HBCU athletics leaders take inspiration from the NBA and look to innovate with their media rights.
HBCUs must innovate with sports media rights; use the NBA as inspirationRandall Barnes ·
Michigan Wolverines running back Hassan Haskins runs by Notre Dame defenders during the second half
Michigan football, Notre Dame finalists for 4-star DLScotty White ·
A Michigan Wolverines marching band color guard flag member carries the Michigan flag across the field before the Wolverines played against the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium.
Michigan football battling 3 CFP contenders for 4-star EDGEScotty White ·
Florida A&M is under scrutiny for low pass rates in its law and nursing programs. The university has plans to enhance student outcomes.
Florida A&M lands JUCO QB after losing Kent State starRandall Barnes ·

“That night we're on a zoom, me, Jolin and Larry Ellison, and we're talking, and I'm like, ‘Larry, where'd you go school?' ‘Oh, Illinois.' ‘All right, Jolin, what about you?' ‘Michigan.' Interesting,” Portnoy said. “‘When did you go to school?' I believe she said the… Brady Hoke, that era. Brady Hoke era. And she said, ‘I never want to live that era again. We're the national champs. I have two kids. I can't stomach waking up on a Saturday knowing that we're not the best team on the field.' I said, ‘I'm with you. What do we have to do?'”

After that, Portnoy and the Ellison's started to work on Bryce Underwood. The whole recruitment lasted quite some time, but eventually, Underwood decided to flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan.

“I know what we'll do. Let's set up a call tomorrow night with Bryce Underwood and his parents, and we talked and we pitched Bryce,” Portnoy continued. “I said, ‘Listen, first of all, Barstool and the marketing, but more importantly, Larry Ellison and Jolin and nobody can match this. This guy's a legend, and we pitched and we pitched, but oh boy, Michigan's back, and I didn't know how it would come about of the role I would play, but Jolin and I on that first phone call, she's like, ‘I needed somebody to step up from Michigan and show that they cared as much as I did.' And then it was like, the mega powers united. And I knew it. I texted Jolin, it was before it was really known. It's like, I'm getting all this credit. I'm a little uneasy. She goes, ‘I don't need the credit. I need national championships. I need to stack them.'”

Now, the Michigan football program has the best player in the 2025 class coming in, and there are a lot of other top recruits following along. The future is looking bright for Sherrone Moore, but he has to be able to develop these guys if he wants the program to be successful.