Dan Orlovsky Praises ‘Unknown’ Michigan QB’s Heroics Even as Garrett Nussmeier and Co. Dominate Headlines

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Bryce Underwood, an 18-year-old freshman, was a star for Michigan during Week 1 of the college football season.

While there may be more quarterbacks with flashier résumés and bigger names, Michigan fans should take away from the win over New Mexico that Underwood is not to be overlooked. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown. While he was sacked twice, the signal-caller still led Michigan to a 43-17 victory in its season opener.

For those reasons, while some attention remains elsewhere, some analysts are praising Underwood.

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Bryce Underwood Marked as an Underrated QB by a CFB Analyst

Underwood arrived at Michigan as a five-star prospect, ranked the nation’s No. 1 overall player, No. 1 quarterback, and No. 1 in the state of Michigan by 247Sports out of Belleville High School.

Standing at 6’4″ and weighing 228 pounds, the freshman also did not throw an interception against New Mexico. He reportedly signed a four-year, $12.5 million NIL deal with Michigan, setting him up to earn $3 million annually from the Big Ten powerhouse.

With that in mind, along with his debut performance, retired NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky named Underwood the most impressive yet overlooked quarterback in Division I football. Analyzing Underwood’s performance, Orlovsky said:

“All eyes on Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood this weekend, Michigan going to Oklahoma for a huge Saturday night game. Make the case that this young man was probably the most impressive unknown quarterback from this weekend. When you just watch him play, what jumps out, he is crazy sudden with the football. The ball jumps out of his hands. There is a crazy amount of power, and he sees it really quickly.”

According to The Athletic, in the nine months since Underwood arrived on campus, every part of the Wolverines’ program has gravitated toward the Detroit native. Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore also told The Athletic he has never come across a quarterback like Underwood at any point in his career.

“Have I seen a freshman like him (at) quarterback?” Moore said. “Not that I could imagine. Not that I can think of.”

In short, quarterbacks such as LSU’s 23-year-old Garrett Nussmeier may generate more headlines and fanfare, but youngsters with an arm like Underwood’s are not to be overlooked either.

No. 15 Michigan’s prime-time showdown Saturday at No. 18 Oklahoma will serve as Underwood’s introduction on the national stage and the first chance for many college football fans to see what he can do.

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