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The Michigan football team won the national championship in 2023, and a big reason why was the play of quarterback JJ McCarthy. The Wolverines always have a run-first offense, but McCarthy is what got the team over the hump. When Michigan needed a big play through the air, he consistently came through. Now, the Wolverines have a new young star at QB: Bryce Underwood.
Bryce Underwood was the top player in the 2025 recruiting class, and he is now a member of the Michigan football team. Wolverines fans haven’t been this excited about a QB since, well, JJ McCarthy.
McCarthy did just about everything right during his time with Michigan, as he was accurate, explosive, and he took care of the football. The Wolverines are hoping that Underwood can do the same, and head coach Sherrone Moore seems confident that he can. Both players have faced a lot of pressure because of the hype, and Underwood is handling it well.
“The closest was JJ, and JJ handled it really well,” Sherrone Moore said, according to an article from 247Sports. “But I think there is added pressure because he’s [Bryce Underwood] a guy from right down the road and his family’s here.”
McCarthy did not earn the starting job as a true freshman, but he did get significant playing time because he was too talented to be left off the field. He was behind Cade McNamara on the depth chart as a freshman, and then he beat out McNamara for the starting job the next year.
Bryce Underwood hasn’t been named the starter yet, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else earning it over him. Underwood’s main competitor will be Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene. The Michigan football team opens up the 2025 season in about six and a half weeks against New Mexico. There is a chance that the QB battle rages on until that game.
