Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood isn't changing his mindset heading into his second season.

After an inconsistent freshman year, Underwood was asked if he regretted the confident comments he made before ever taking college snaps. His answer was simple.

"No," Underwood said during the Big Ten Media Days. "I don't regret nothing I said."

Underwood's claim on Big Ten Media Days as posted by The Wolverines: Michigan Football and Basketball on July 31 came off as bold. After all, the former five-star recruit has been in the spotlight after being the No. 1 quarterback of his class coming out of Belleville High School. The hype led him to make a bold comment on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

"Yeah, it’s over for Ohio State," the quarterback said to LeBron James before the 2025 season.

However, the quarterback could not live up to the hype in his debut year.

He finished the 2025 season with 2,428 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but Michigan struggled in its biggest game, falling 27-9 to Ohio State. The Wolverines failed to score a touchdown, and Underwood was held to just 63 passing yards with an interception.

"The Team Down South. How that really was, it's insane. Now me being in it, I see why it goes as deep as it goes. You won't see nothing red in the building," he added.

Underwood also clarifies that his earlier claim about being the greatest player to come out of Michigan was about the state, not the university.

Now under head coach Kyle Whittingham, Underwood enters the season with a strong start, a stronger support system, and another chance to prove himself.

"It wasn't a problem living up to anything. When there's greatness, pressure comes with that no matter what," Underwood added.

Michigan will find out soon whether that confidence translates into results, especially when rivalry week comes around again.

While Underwood isn't backing away from the spotlight, those around him are paying even closer attention to what he is doing behind the scenes.

Why are Michigan players so confident in Bryce Underwood?

Defensive tackle Trey Pierce has spent months lining up against Underwood in practice and thinks the new offense under coordinator Jason Beck fits the sophomore quarterback well.

"I think that this offense fits Bryce pretty well," defensive tackle Trey Pierce said at the Big Ten Media Days. "They get Bryce in really good situations and, like, it's a frustrating offense to go against. I think it's one to be really good with."

Running back Jordan Marshall has noticed growth beyond what happens during practice.

"He's worked his b*** off, and he's going to prove a lot of people wrong this season. And the reason I can say that is because he works every single day to do that," Marshall added.

With fall camp beginning August 5, Michigan believes Underwood's preparation could make all the difference when the season kicks off against Western Michigan on September 5.

Will Michigan's quarterback silence the critics this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Debanjali Rakshit

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar