Tom Brady was Michigan’s secret weapon for flipping Bryce Underwood

Michigan rocked the football world — and maybe turned its whole program around — on Thursday night, when five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood announced that he'd flipped his commitment from LSU to the Wolverines. Underwood had been the subject of much intrigue in recent weeks; committed to the Tigers since January, Michigan had recently been doing everything it could to convince the Belleville, Michigan, native to stay home, even offering a reported $10.5 million in NIL money.

Still, it seemed like even a bag that big wouldn't be enough. Michigan's offense, and particularly its passing game, has been anemic in recent weeks, and first-year head coach Sherrone Moore seemed increasingly in over his head. But a secret two-day trip to Ann Arbor helped give Underwood a better idea of the program Moore was building, and play up the idea of playing savior just 30 miles from his hometown.

Of course, it also helped that the program had called upon its most famous alumnus to help tilt things in their favor.

Tom Brady helped Michigan secure Bryce Underwood's commitment

All due respect to Moore's ability to close the deal, he got a pretty big assist from the greatest quarterback of all-time: Former Michigan QB Tom Brady, who CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reports helped sway Underwood back towards the maize and blue.

"A FaceTime conversation between Brady and Underwood a few weeks ago marked the beginning of their relationship, which grew over multiple conversations," Zenitz writes, adding that Brady pledged to be a resource moving forward should Underwood commit to Michigan.

Which has to be one heck of a perk. Brady's time in Ann Arbor wasn't always smooth sailing; the California native was buried on the depth chart for his first two years on campus, then spent all of the 1999 season platooning with Drew Henson. From there, though, you know what happened: Brady was taken in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft, where he'd later blossom into a six-time Super Bowl champion and the greatest quarterback in football history.

Underwood has a long way to go to reach those heights, of course. But the hype surrounding him has reached a fever pitch (Cam Newton, anyone?) and there's no better advisor to have as a young quarterback than literally Tom Brady. Michigan has a long way to go to turn this big win into wins on the field — recruiting some wide receivers would certainly help — but between the financial might and Brady's involvement, the Wolverines are showing that they're a force to be reckoned with in the modern college football landscape.