"They can make it work": CFB analyst points to back up plan for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

Bryce Underwood is the biggest name coming into Ann Arbor in 2025. But will he be the starter for Sherrone Moore’s team this season?

On Monday’s “Andy and Ari” show, Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman discussed the Michigan Wolverines’ quarterback situation and what their options are for the upcoming season, including potentially having Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene start the season at quarterback.

“If they are not comfortable with him (Bryce Underwood) yet, they have Mikey Keene, who’s played a lot of college football games so they can make that work. But they’ve got plenty of talent,” Andy Staples said (32:29).

According to 247 Sports, Bryce Underwood is the top quarterback of the Class of 2025. Michigan is also paying over $10 million to the quarterback through an NIL deal, so he’ll be expected to play sooner rather than later. But the Wolverines also brought Keene in as an experienced quarterback to help groom the freshman.

Mikey Keene previously played for the UCF Knights and is coming off a 2,892-yard, 18-touchdown season with the Fresno State Bulldogs. While Keene completed over 70% of his passes, he also threw 11 interceptions.

The Wolverines are expected to have a much better passing attack in 2025 than they did last year. Michigan ranked 128th in total offense and 123rd in passing yards per game with Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle and Alex Orji at the helm last year.

“We’ll see what it looks like, but my anticipation is that whoever’s playing quarterback, whether it be Keene or Underwood, there’s going to be a massive improvement in their ability to throw the football this year,” Ari Wasserman said.

While Michigan finished the season strong with wins over Ohio State and Alabama, that had more to do with a solid defense and running game than quarterbacks suddenly coming alive. Perhaps with better quarterback play Sherrone Moore’s squad could compete in the top-heavy Big Ten.

Sherrone Moore explained how he got Bryce Underwood to flip to Michigan

One of the biggest storylines in the recruiting front last year was Bryce Underwood’s flip from LSU to Michigan. On “The Daily Wire's Crain & Co. show”, Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore explained how he was able to land the Belleville Michigan native.

While NIL played a part in the switch, Moore never stopped talking to the quarterback, and he eventually reaped the benefits.

"We rebuilt the relationship. We already had one, but we rebuilt it when I became the head coach. And it was a long process. We've been recruiting him since he's been committed to LSU, and as we know in recruiting that always happens,” Sherrone Moore said.

Ironically, a few months earlier Bryce Underwood had mentioned the Wolverines’ inability to develop quarterbacks. Perhaps JJ McCarthy’s first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft or Chip Lindsey’s helped change his perception as well.

Either way, credit to Moore for not throwing the towel and landing one of the top quarterback prospects in the school’s history.