Quarterback Bryce Underwood is heading into his sophomore year with a lot to prove. And the voices questioning him keep getting louder. The Ringer's Analyst Todd McShay appeared on the Rich Eisen Show on July 2 and didn't hold back.

"Where he was as a passer last year does not cut it," McShay said. "There's got to be a lot of maturity in his game from year one to year two in order for him to become anywhere close to what the expectation was coming out," per the Rich Eisen Show.

McShay watched Underwood's full freshman season and felt a kid with that much hype and that kind of NIL investment coming in as the No. 1 recruit in the country needed to show a lot more consistency and accuracy as a passer than what he actually put on tape.

McShay wasn't done. "A lot of hope, a lot of hope, but also a lot of work that has to be done," he added, as per the Rich Eisen Show.

This comes weeks after former NFL All-Pro safety Eric Weddle said something similar. Weddle attended Michigan's spring practice with his son, a 2028 recruit, and came away unimpressed.

"Mark my words, I was out there for spring ball. Don't be surprised if the backup is playing early because that Underwood kid, I don't think he could throw or play quarterback," Weddle said on the Zero 2 Sixty podcast.

Weddle watched Underwood up close at spring practice and felt the level of quarterback play he saw didn't match what a program like Michigan, one that expects national championships, should be getting from its starter.

Those numbers from his freshman year give both men a case. 60.3 percent completion rate, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions. For the No. 1 recruit in the country, that's not what anyone had in mind.

McShay did leave room for him, though. He brought up Texas A&M's Marcel Reed as someone who had the same kind of messy freshman year but showed up at the Manning Passing Academy as a completely different player. Quicker release, sharper accuracy. McShay wants to see that same jump from Underwood in the fall.

Kyle Whittingham compared Underwood to Cam Newton ahead of year two

Not everyone sees what Weddle and McShay see. Head coach Kyle Whittingham made his position clear in March.

"Big dude, 6-4-plus, 240 pounds, live arm, great athlete. Flashes that smile a lot like Cam did," Whittingham said of Underwood, per Maize n Brew.

Kirk Herbstreit is already expecting it. The ESPN analyst predicted a "massive jump" from Underwood in 2026, in the Crain and Cone Interview.

Worth remembering, too, is that Underwood did all of this under a coaching staff that ended up getting fired for off-field reasons. That program was a mess last year.

Now he's got Whittingham and a new offensive coordinator in Jason Beck around him. Different staff, different environment, different expectations. Weddle said 'prove me wrong'. McShay said the work has to be done. This September, Underwood gets his shot at both of them.

Do you think Bryce Underwood will silence his critics in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi