The Michigan Wolverines came crashing down to a 9-27 loss against their Big Ten rivals Ohio State Buckeyes on November 29 last year.

Therefore, fans and analysts alike have raised concerns about the offensive coaching during that game and regarding the new one heading into the upcoming season.

During the Saturday's episode of 'The Hard Count' podcast, J.D. Pickell and Kaiden Smith discussed the potential of Wolverines' quarterback Bryce Underwood heading into his sophomore season.

“Yeah, for me, J.D., it's kind of a why not both situation,” Smith said. “I think on the front end, like you talk about, just some of the dysfunction that was going on offensively for Michigan when you're questioning the quarterback coaching of it all, the offensive coordinating of it all.”

In 2025, the Wolverines were on a four-game win streak. Until the finale against the Buckeyes, the program had lost just two games, with Underwood recording a season-high pass of 280 yards against the Northwestern Wildcats.

The Wolverines had improved their passing offense from 129.1 yards to 186.8 yards last season.

Underwood, the first overall ranked prospect, had flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. During his freshman season, he recorded 2,428 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. 

However, the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines and broke their streak, and advanced into the Big Ten Championship with a 12-0 record.

With that conclusion, former head coach Sherron Moore was let go before Kyle Whittingham took over. 

Noting the finale and the changes that followed, Smith added that Underwood was disadvantaged by the people around him.

“...We saw last year where there was just coaches that were setting up their quarterbacks for better success,” Smith stated. “I think Bryce Underwood was not getting the highest level of that when it comes to the coaches in his corner and the support, even beyond that when it comes to the system and the wide receivers around him, the pass catchers, the offensive line.”

According to Rivals, Underwood shares a likeness with Josh Allen, needs better backing so that this season ends on a joyous note for the program. However, he has some areas for improvement as well.

Bryce Underwood Needs To Fix His Drop Rate

In their article published on May 17, Lucas Reimink's Sports Illustrated noted that “the biggest thing Bryce Underwood needs to improve upon is slowing down mentally.”

“He tends to feel the rush before he needs to, and it can cause him to make ill-advised passes and to miss easy completions,” Reimink discussed. “If Bryce Underwood can take this summer and work on staying clean with his mechanics even while facing pressure that would go a very long ways in helping him to take the next step in his development.”

In his freshman year, Underwood threw seven touchdowns and three interceptions. However, he witnessed 5.5% receiver drops, which limited his completion rate to 60.3%. 

According to CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, quarterbacks like Ohio State Buckeyes' Julian Sayin, who had the fewest drops (1.18%), and national champion Fernando Mendoza (1.19%) reigned above him in this regard. 

It is now up to him and new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, to work on their weaknesses for a better turnout. Are you excited for this season? Tell us in the comments!

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Rishab Nandi