Being the top quarterback in a prep recruiting class is something of a mixed blessing. For every superstar who is considered the top prospect out of high school, there’s another recruit who doesn’t live up to his billing. Each Julian Sayin has a Nico Iamaleava.
But one top prospect who had a promising but uneven 2025 season is a good bet to pick up some additional improvement in the 2026 campaign. A coaching change should allow a raw star to hone in on some of the rough edges still in his game.
Michigan QB Bryce Underwood certainly showed flashes of brilliance, but left himself plenty of room to improve with an uneven 2025 season. Underwood passed for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 392 yards and six scores on the ground.
After the departure of Jim Harbaugh for the NFL, Michigan football struggled to move the ball and score points under Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines fell from 35.9 points per game in Harbaugh’s 2023 season to 22.0 and 27.5 in the following two years. But after two seasons with Moore, Michigan has now gone in a new direction.
Underwood to shine with new staff
The Athletic’s Antonio Morales has high hopes for Underwood’s development under the new Michigan staff. Morales writes that new head coach Kyle Whittingham “should help stabilize things” and notes that Underwood will likely benefit from new offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Beck has previously run offenses at Syracuse, New Mexico, and Utah. His Utes squad scored 41.1 points per game in 2025.
Underwood certainly has plenty of upside to develop. The No. 1 QB in the 2025 class had actually moved up a class, so the 2026 season should technically be Underwood’s freshman year in college. At 6’4″ and an athletic 215 pounds, Underwood checked all the boxes as both a big-armed passer and a nimble runner coming out of high school.
Early in 2024, Underwood committed to play college football for Brian Kelly and LSU. That commitment held until late in the 2024 recruiting cycle, when Underwood flipped his commitment to Michigan amid rumors of a massive NIL payout. While he’s been impressive at Michigan, there are other QBs in the 2025 class who have seem more immediate success.
Other top 2025 Class QBs
Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns in an impressive freshman season. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier got a surprise starting nod after a late off-season transfer out from the Cougards and fared well. But with a new coaching staff in town, Underwood may yet reclaim the lead as the most promising QB from the class of 2025.
