The hype around Bryce Underwood came with five stars, national headlines, and expectations as thick as Michigan’s playbook. But it only took one photo to spark the latest drama in Ann Arbor—one snapshot from spring practice, where the No. 1 recruit in college football appeared to be carrying a little more than muscle under his maize and blue jersey. And just like that, the trolls pounced. “Freshman 15” became a trending punchline, especially down in Columbus, where rivals were quick to question his conditioning. Is he fat? Or just fueling up for a long season ahead?

The Wolverines’ insiders, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome, however, aren’t sweating the optics. They’re looking at something deeper than a waistline for the spring game. “I mean what you’re looking for with Bryce Underwood is just that he’s functional out there,” Broome explained ahead of Michigan’s spring game. “I’m not going to make [a big deal] if he throws a pick or if he has a couple incomplete passes—like I’m not going to freak out over that. This is still a true freshman who, if I remember correctly, was young for his class.” Indeed, Underwood turns 18 in August. “As physically developed as he looks to be, this is still a boy playing a grown-up man’s sport.”

So what do they want to see? Not stat lines. Not fireworks. Just signs of composure. “You just want to see Bryce look comfortable and operate the offense. I assume they’re not going to be live—they’re not going to let these quarterbacks get hit. I think that’s usually been the case anyways.” The Michigan reporter continued, “But you want to see how he responds when plays break down. I want to see him use his legs and get off the back door.” Translation: It’s all about instincts and improvisation. The things you can’t teach in the film room. “I just want to see both guys looking comfortable and not overwhelmed, and I don’t think that’s going to be too much to ask,” he added, also referring to sophomore QB Jadyn Davis.

And what exactly are we watching for? A little bit of everything…..

“The offense that they’re playing in is going to be conducive to letting them both cut it loose a little bit more,” Broome said. “They’re not going to give away [too much]—this is all going to be very vanilla. But I just want to see him look comfortable. I want to see him run around. I want to see him launch the ball down the field. It’s almost kind of like a glorified—I won’t say combine workout—but I just want to see that skill set on display. I don’t care what the stats look like. I don’t care what mistakes are made. I just want to see the vision.” It’s a high bar—not perfection, but enough to make coaches and fans say, ‘That’s what it could look like.’

Still, Sherrone Moore isn’t handing anything to anyone. In fact, he may be hedging his bets already. Behind the scenes, Moore has made a bold triple move. Aggressively pursuing three passers in the 2026 class—each one with enough juice to make things interesting in the long term. First is Brady Smigiel, the four-star gunslinger out of Newbury Park with an NFL-caliber release. Then comes Nathan Bernhard, a rising three-star from Ashland, Ohio. But the real wildcard is Ryder Lyons, the five-star phenom from Folsom with a cannon arm and dual-threat tools. It’s a calculated maneuver, and it signals something more than just future-proofing—it’s pressure applied in real time.

Because the path to QB1 at Michigan doesn’t run through rankings—it runs through competition. Moore has made that crystal clear. Between Underwood, Davis, and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene—who’s currently sidelined with an injury—the race is wide open. He expects the competition between Bryce, Jadyn Davis, and Mikey Keene to continue through fall practice. That allows the staff to put together a thorough evaluation before ultimately making a decision just prior to the first game of the year.

Sherrone Moore is in no rush to name Bryce Underwood starter

The Bryce Underwood era in Ann Arbor might be on the horizon, but don’t expect a QB1 announcement anytime soon. Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is keeping things close to the vest when it comes to naming a starting quarterback—and he’s totally fine with letting the battle brew well into the summer.

“I feel like it usually carries into fall camp,” Moore said on The Hard Count with On3’s J.D. PicKell. “All the real good battles that I’ve been a part of, you can say something in spring, but then it changes.” And hey, he’s got a point. Spring football gives you a glimpse, but fall is where things get real.

With guys like Underwood in the mix—the No. 1 recruit in the country—and competition heating up from all sides, “We’re going to take our time with the process of who that person is going [to be],” Moore added. “It’s so important. That person’s going to have the ball in their hands every single play and make so many decisions.” Moore expects to make the call “probably a week before the first game” against New Mexico. With expectations comes responsibility.