Bryce Underwood's Michigan Future In Jeopardy After Major Issue Exposed
The head coach who signed Bryce Underwood is no longer in Michigan. And Kyle Whittingham and staff will be worried about their star quarterback in the making. Concerns about his future have emerged after this statistic from last season.
Underwood was sacked 20 times in the 2025 season. The concern is that the offensive line needs to do better. With the memories still fresh, it will be the first season for Underwood under newly hired veteran head coach Whittingham and his staff.
“Expect Underwood to make a jump in development under OC Jason Besk and the watchful eye of QB coach Koy Detmer," wrote NBC Big 10 Saturday Night analyst Todd Blackledge, sharing his key takeaways from the Michigan scrimmage on April 11. “OL (offensive line) has talent, but must improve as pass protectors."
In the 2025 season, the consensus No.1 overall-ranked high school football player in the nation had 2,428 passing yards and threw 11 passing touchdowns with a completion percentage of 60.3%. But he fell prey to a limping offensive line.
He appeared in 13 games last season, and it's only against Central Michigan that Underwood did not get sacked. Against the Northwestern Wildcats and Texas Longhorns, the quarterback got sacked thrice in each game.
When it came to quarterback sack percentage, the Wolverines ranked No.69 nationally with 5.82%. Talking about talent in the offensive line? As Blackledge pointed out, it's there. The Wolverines lost Ty Haywood to the portal, but retained Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera.
But still, Underwood's future is in jeopardy as the offensive line will have to fill the cracks when it comes to pass protection. Turns out that Blackledge is not the only one who raised a warning for Underwood.
What Did This Michigan Insider Say About the Offensive Line?
Underwood already has too many things on his plate. He is entering the 2026 season, ranked as the No.7 quarterback in the Big Ten by CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli.
Isaiah Hole, host of the Locked on Wolverines Podcast, further stirred his pot. He gave his thoughts on the offensive line from the 2025 season.
“Let’s start with the offensive line cause I mean that was just an absolute debacle,” said the analyst. "Brady Norton was an absolute disaster all game. I did not feel like Greg Crippen or Brady Norton played well at all. I noticed some problems from Andrew Sprague."
Crippen struggled as a run blocker against bigger defensive tackles. With Sprague absent from the right side, Michigan’s protection crumbled against the Texas Longhorns, leading to a 41–27 loss. The Wolverines were outgunned by Arch Manning and the Longhorns, closing their season on a sour note.
Underwood had to pay a high cost because of the offensive line, which was young and inexperienced. This brought back memories of the 2017 offensive line for Hole. Across 12 games, Michigan surrendered 34 sacks, placing them No. 112 in the country.
So, it's Jim Harding's task to help the Michigan offensive line spread a protective net for Bryce Underwood. Can he do it? Share your thoughts.
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