The college football world has been writing off Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood since before the season even ended. GBM Wolverine analyst Chris Peterson thinks that's the biggest mistake anyone can make heading into 2026.

"Rival fans, and even some Michigan fans, are trying to write him off way too early. Heck, it feels like most of the college football world is writing off Underwood too early. Overlook him at your own risk," Peterson wrote on GBM Wolverine.

The comparison he used to back that up is the one nobody is talking about.

When you put Underwood's freshman numbers next to the developmental timelines of other elite young players like quarterback Dante Moore, Underwood comes out ahead on almost every stat.

Moore completed 53 percent of his passes in his freshman year at UCLA with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He averaged 178.9 passing yards per game but didn't score a single rushing touchdown.

Underwood went 60.3 percent through the air with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He averaged 186 passing yards per game and added 30.2 rushing yards per game on top of that, finishing with 17 total touchdowns, including six on the ground.

"It might be easy for Michigan fans to look at Carr and Moore, and say what if? But there is still a chance that Underwood is the best quarterback of them all. He certainly had the best season as a freshman, despite a less-than-ideal situation," Chris Peterson wrote on GBM Wolverine.

Michigan held Bryce Underwood back by playing it too safe and refusing to let him take risks, which really stunted his growth. The coaching chaos under Sherrone Moore only made things worse for Underwood.

Dante Moore is now considered a potential top pick in the NFL draft after his breakout 2025 season at Oregon. The same path that took Moore from a rough freshman year to a top draft prospect is sitting right in front of Underwood.

Kyle Whittingham fixed the structure the moment he arrived. He brought in Jason Beck as offensive coordinator and Koy Detmer Jr. as a dedicated quarterbacks coach, two things Underwood never had in his first year.

Jason Beck’s work with Devon Dampier at Utah gives Michigan fans a real blueprint

Peterson pointed to offensive coordinator Jason Beck's track record with another dual-threat quarterback as evidence of what's possible.

Utah QB Devon Dampier did not break out in year one under Beck. It happened in year two. That took time, repetition, and a full offseason of working within the system.

Underwood is now exactly where Dampier was heading into that second year.

At Utah in 2025, Dampier ranked seventh nationally in Total QBR. He threw for 2,490 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions, and ran for 835 yards and 10 more scores.

If Beck gets Underwood moving in that same direction, the people who counted him out are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Do you think Bryce Underwood can prove the doubters wrong with a big sophomore season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore