Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer believes Bryce Underwood has everything needed to become a star quarterback. But he also thinks the former No. 1 recruit still has work to do. As far as his 2025 struggles are concerned, Meyer doesn’t put the whole blame on Michigan QB1. He just wasn’t given the best chance to succeed. 

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with Coach Whit about him,” Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast on July 10. “I’m not going to share some of them because that’s between two good friends who work together. [But] there are some concerns. There’s also if God said, ‘I’m going to go make me a quarterback,’ it’s going to look a lot like Bryce Underwood as far as size, athleticism. He’s a great kid. He worked at it. Are there some things missing? Sure.”

Meyer also questioned how Michigan handled Underwood’s freshman season, especially the lack of a dedicated QB coach around a $12 million investment. His comments aligned with Whittingham’s view that the Wolverines must rebuild Underwood’s foundation before expecting elite results. Naturally, Underwood has to take some significant strides to become an elite QB for the Wolverines.

Bryce Underwood has one of the strongest arms in college football, but he still has a lot to work on. Mainly, his basic skills, like where he positions his feet, how he throws the ball, and his posture when he throws, are all a bit off. Moreover, the QB struggled to read disguised coverages last season. 

Whittingham has hired Jason Beck as offensive coordinator after arriving from Utah. Just as important, he brought Koy Detmer Jr. to serve as a dedicated quarterbacks coach. Since taking over, the new staff has focused on Underwood’s throwing mechanics, lower-body balance, footwork, timing, and reading coverages. Michigan also upgraded the offense around him.

The Wolverines added better receiver talent like Jaime Ffrench and JJ Buchanan. Michigan also retained key young playmakers like Channing Goodwin and improved depth. Because of Jason Beck’s electric offense and Underwood’s challenging situation in the 2025 season, Meyer’s trust in Whittingham is unsurprising.

The two have known each other for decades. Meyer had Whittingham as his DC at Utah before the latter succeeded him as the Utes’ head coach in 2005. Their friendship has remained strong ever since. The former Ohio State head coach even admitted he initially advised Whittingham against taking the Michigan job before later supporting the move.

Jason Beck’s offense could help the UM QB1 show a different side. In Utah, his offenses featured QB movement, designed runs, and play-action concepts that utilized the full arsenal of dual-threat quarterback skills. This approach enabled them to simplify their reads. Michigan is likely to use Underwood’s mobility more than keep him confined to the pocket. The new OC’s track record of developing talented quarterbacks is also a positive sign.

Beck previously developed QBs like Bryce Perkins and Devon Dampier. Both of them became dangerous runners while improving as passers. Reports throughout the offseason suggest Michigan plans more designed quarterback runs and movement throws. That fits Underwood’s strengths. Moreover, with two full offseasons with Michigan under his belt, 2026 seems to be the season when Underwood finally starts to look like a generational talent.