Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood had a year to sit with his freshman numbers. 60.3% completion rate, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions. Michigan went 9-4 and missed the playoffs again. He is not running from any of it.

Underwood hosted a youth football camp at Saline High School on June 20 and spoke to reporters about year two. He got right to it when asked what he expects from himself this season.

"I want to prove to myself that I am what I think I am," he told reporters as posted by Click on Detroit, Local 4, WDIV on their YouTube on June 22. "I feel like I'm the best player to ever come out of Michigan because I worked for it."

It was a bold claim after the quarterback had a rough freshman season, failing to meet expectations. But Underwood has never allowed anything to lower his confidence.

"How much the mental aspect of the game really matters," he said in the same interview. "How mentally stable you have to be, how mentally strengthened."

That is the biggest shift in his game this offseason. Not the arm. Not the athleticism. The head.

He also acknowledged that year one was not what he imagined it would be. Coming from Belleville, where he went 50-4, won two state championships, and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, losing and struggling were new experiences for him entirely.

His response to former NFL safety Eric Weddle, who said publicly he did not think Underwood could "throw or play quarterback," was just as direct.

"I mean, Game 1 is September 5," Underwood said in the same interview. "I'll let that speak. I'm not putting no energy toward one person."

The work behind the scenes backs up the mindset heading into 2026.

Underwood has been training alongside Joe Burrow this offseason

Underwood connected with California-based quarterback trainer Jordan Palmer this offseason and has been flying out for multiple sessions. Palmer runs quarterback summit, a training program that has worked with Josh Allen and Sam Darnold, among others.

Underwood has been training alongside Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during those Palmer sessions. The trainer himself spoke about what he had seen from Underwood in those sessions.

"I've been blown away with how Bryce approaches development and how he's able to compartmentalize a lot of new things," Palmer told On3. "But honestly, I'd be impressed if he were 27."

Praise from someone who has worked with many of the NFL's top quarterbacks carries significant weight.

Do you think Bryce Underwood can prove himself as Michigan's best in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar