Quarterback Bryce Underwood enters year two with his position fully up for debate. Two analysts on the Locked On Wolverines podcast went through what the 2026 season means for the QB under head coach Kyle Whittingham.

"Kyle Whittingham can't afford a two-year process here. That's why they're going all in on recruiting...there's an intent here to make a big splash and to make one fast," analyst Steve Deace said on the Locked On Wolverines podcast.

Deace identified a specific name waiting in the wings. Devon Dampier, currently at Utah, finishes his degree after this year and has a fifth year of eligibility available under the new five-for-five rule. He already knows Jason Beck's system inside out.

"If it's very clear when this season is over that he could not deliver in those games, not a single one of them. And that was the difference; I 10,000% believe Michigan will move on," Steve Deace said on the Locked On Wolverines podcast.

The schedule is what makes this so high-stakes. When Deace ranked the quarterbacks of Michigan's four biggest games, Underwood came in fifth.

"Nowhere near Dante Moore...Nowhere near Julian Sayin," Deace added.

Deace means the quarterback must earn the locker room's respect as a true leader. He must also have the clutch gene to win games when the pressure is highest in the final minutes.

"I want to see clear signs that this team rallies behind him as its leader," Deace said. "I want to see that he makes plays in the fourth quarter that either closes games out or alters our fate."

Host Isaiah Hole compared the realistic bar to J.J. McCarthy in mid-2022 on the same podcast. Not spectacular, but reliable enough that Michigan fans weren't worried.

"I kind of feel like you'll see a mixture, kind of maybe similar to mid-season 2022 JJ McCarthy, who wasn't necessarily throwing all over the yard, wasn't as efficient as he was in year three but was certainly someone that Michigan fans weren't particularly complaining about too much," Hole said on the same podcast.

Both agreed that six or seven games on the schedule won't tell anyone much. The four tough ones are where the verdict gets written.

Devon Dampier ranked No. 7 in the nation in Total QBR in Beck’s offense last season

Dampier is the name that keeps coming up in Michigan conversations for good reason. Running Beck's system at Utah in 2025, Dampier ranked seventh in the country in Total QBR. He threw for 2,490 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. On the ground, he added 835 yards and 10 more scores.

Beck has done this before too. Taysom Hill ran his offense. So did Bryce Perkins. All of them produced, per Maize n Brew.

Underwood rushed for 392 yards and five touchdowns last year himself. Beck has already said the offense in 2026 will be built around what Underwood does best, including more designed quarterback runs.

If that works and Underwood delivers in the big games, the Dampier conversation goes away fast. If it doesn't, the blueprint for replacing him already exists.

Do you think Bryce Underwood can deliver in Michigan's biggest games this season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore