When Michigan bought…err…got a commitment from Bryce Underwood, fans of TTUN had a lot of smack talk towards the Ohio State football program. Many of them said it was the end of the Buckeyes having any shot of beating the Wolverines. That turned out to be false.
In fact, the play of Underwood contributed to the Ohio State Buckeyes taking TTUN down in November. Ohio State won 27-9, even spotting the Wolverines an early field goal. After that, TTUN fans were hoping Underwood would be better heading into this season.
Instead, Underwood was horrendous during Michigan’s spring game. He was just 3-9 for 22 yards in what was a beautiful car crash for Buckeye fans. Michigan fans have tried to brush it off, but now a top college football pundit is worried about the direction Underwood is going.
Top CFB pundit is worried about Bryce Underwood heading into 2026
While answering a question in his mailbag, college football pundit Stewart Mandel of The Athletic answered a question about Underwood’s Spring Game performance and whether it worried him. It certainly did, and Mandel gave his reasons why.
“In my experience, the guys who play well in the fall don’t generally bomb in the spring game. And for that reason, I’m nervous about Bryce Underwood, too. Michigan’s $12 million quarterback was underwhelming as a true freshman starter, finishing 94th in the country in passer rating.”
Mandel knows that TTUN fans were hoping for progress in the Spring Game, but got none.
“If you were a Michigan fan tuning into Saturday’s spring game, you just wanted to see some sign he’s been progressing under new coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Instead, you saw him go 3-of-9 for 22 yards while playing just a quarter, overthrowing open receivers on his two longest passes and throwing into traffic on another.”
Buckeye fans certainly noticed. Meanwhile, Tavien St. Clair had a great performance in Ohio State’s spring game. He staked his claim to be the best quarterback out of the 2025 recruiting class. He won’t even be starting for the Buckeyes this season, either.
It’s still young in Underwood’s career, but he looks like an overrated bust so far. Fans of the Scarlet and Gray are hoping that is the case.
