Michigan has been starving for a quarterback of Bryce Underwood’s caliber for years. They were so desperate, they put together an NIL package worth more than $10 million to sway the highest recruit they’ve ever signed, away from LSU and stay home in Michigan. The fact that LSU was able to get Underwood’s attention before the biggest in-state school is a problem in itself.
This season, Sherrone Moore finally got the quarterback that would save his legacy and make this team competitive offensively. After sifting through four quarterbacks last year, they realized they needed a complete overhaul. But Moore is proving, and Oklahoma’s win on Saturday night is more proof than ever, until Michigan changes their philosophy, it doesn’t matter who’s under center.
Underwood’s arrival to Ann Arbor wasn't just about hype, it was about changing the course of Michigan’s future. That hinges on how well the Underwood experiment works this year. If it flops, Michigan won’t be able to recruit like it needs to and it will be stuck in its outdated, run-focused offense with a quarterback that won’t be motivated to stay home.
Sherrone Moore’s hesitancy to unlock Bryce Underwood could be a bad omen for the future
I’m not sure who’s to blame for the lack of usage by Bryce Underwood, Moore or first-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. Through the first three-and-a-half quarters of the game against Oklahoma, Underwood had thrown the ball just 14 times and had 77 yards on six completions. You don’t pay a college quarterback $10 million to not throw the ball.
Sure, they had a 75-yard touchdown run to open the second half, but their run game was absent otherwise. This season, this Michigan offense was supposed to be different with a competent quarterback, but they aren’t unleashing Underwood. Against New Mexico, Underwood showed he has the potential.
Potential means nothing if his team doesn’t know how to use him. Moore needs to drop his running tendencies and cater the offense to the best players. Right now, Underwood has the potential to be the player that will make Michigan one of the best teams in college football. Until he gets that chance to prove it, he’ll have a misconstrued ceiling.
Michigan’s recruiting future lies in the hands of Bryce Underwood’s success
One of the biggest problems Michigan has had as well is not being able to recruit skill players to put around their quarterbacks. While their quarterback room has lacked talent over the last few years, they haven’t been able to put good skill players around them. Aside from Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, the Jim Harbaugh era and now Moore era hasn’t yielded solid receivers.
You can’t blame top receivers not wanting to play with guys like Cade McNamara, Davis Warren and Alex Orji. Underwood’s success this year could open the door for higher caliber high school receivers looking at Michigan as a good landing spot. The Oklahoma game is proof that until Underwood gets a real shot, this Michigan team will always be held back.
Michigan’s scared offensive approach is proof they’re wasting Bryce Underwood’s potential
The offense played extremely conservative, and there’s no real reason why. This was a chance to showcase Underwood on the big stage and instead, Michigan played scared. They scored just 13 points against Oklahoma and didn’t flex an offense that looks like it’s going to scare anybody.
I guess we’ll see what the real problem is when Moore serves part of his suspension over the next couple of games. Without Moore, we’ll see if the interim coach will show Moore how to use his special weapon. Because running the ball with Underwood as the quarterback is going to keep this team from being great.
I’m not saying Underwood is the only reason this team will be good, but until he gets a chance to actually run the offense and play, we’ll never know. Oklahoma unleashed John Mateer and he single-handedly beat Michigan. Underwood should have been afforded that same opportunity.
Moore’s inability to manage the game will cost Michigan more than Underwood’s lack of usage
Moore once again had questionable late game decisions against Oklahoma and while it might not have cost Michigan a win, it definitely aided in the loss. He’s struggled to manage the game since he’s taken over and the Oklahoma game is proof that while Underwood is still on a short leash, that’s far from Moore’s only problems.
The lack of aggression and urgency after trailing most of the game just doesn’t make sense. I’m not saying that automatically means they win, but you can’t be lackadaisical at the end of the game down one possession. These types of decisions are hurting Michigan and it’s more reason why his job security might be in jeopardy, even if we aren’t ready to admit yet.