Kyle Whittingham's first move asMichigan's head coach was securingBryce Underwood's commitment. The 18-year-old wanted to meet the new coach first. After a 45-minute one-on-one discussion, a convinced Underwood decided to stay with the Wolverines. Now that Whittingham has a better understanding of him, the HC has identified a few issues that held the quarterback back under Sherrone Moore.
On the January 12 episode of theTriple Option Podcast, Urban Meyer sat with his close friend and raved about how he was very impressed seeing Bryce Underwood run during Michigan's third game. However, the praise fell flat soon after.
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"You throw on the tape week 10 and 11, it's actually not as good as it was early," Meyer said. "His development was what, in my opinion, I watched him. I have a lot of respect for that player. What have you seen so far from him?"
Adding to his argument, Kyle Whittingham revealed the main issues. The Michigan HC sounded off on Sherrone Moore and his staff for the lack of 'dedication' shown towards Bryce Underwood.
"No dedicated quarterback coach was working with him on a daily basis, which has to happen," Whittingham said. "He didn't turn 18 till like mid-season. And so, he's a guy who really could have been in high school last year, as far as his age."
"But there are some things in throwing mechanics and just things to smooth out in his fundamentals and technique, and we've already got a good start on that. Jason Beck and Koy Detmer Jr. are outstanding quarterback developers and coaches, and so we're already going down that path."
Bryce Underwood showed huge potential last season and looked capable of taking Michigan to another level. Early on, though, the staff kept him on a tight leash, especially in his first two starts, where they limited his rushing. Then came the Central Michigan game. He finally got the green light and exploded for 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Thereafter, things went downhill.
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As defenses got more complex, Underwood struggled with reads and decision-making. He threw seven interceptions over his final five games, including three in the Citrus Bowl loss toTexas. According to Kyle Whittingham, the bigger issue was the environment around Underwood.
The staff initially tried to protect the freshman by limiting his dual-threat game, delaying the best version of him until late in the season. The play-calling didn't help either. AgainstOhio State, Michigan kept running into stacked boxes and failed to give Underwood workable passing concepts, leading to an ugly 8-of-18, 63-yard outing.
Quarterback development also suffered. Chip Lindsey doubled as OC and QB coach, which limited day-to-day focus on Underwood. Now, Whittingham has cleaned that up. Underwood has a dedicated QB coach in Koy Detmer Jr., and OC Jason Beck brings a proven track record with dual-threat quarterbacks in a simple, QB-friendly system. The structure is finally there to unlock Underwood's full potential.
Kyle Whittingham's relentless effort pays off
Bryce Underwood's official decision to return to Ann Arborhas been massive for Michigan. That 45-minute conversation clearly did the trick, and even Whittingham walked away feeling confident that it went really well. But this is college football, and there's always a little "what if" hanging in the air.
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"It was pretty much, 'let's go,'" Whittingham said of Underwood's decision to return. "There was maybe a little hesitation until he got to know me and the rest of the staff. But once he got to know us, it was on a good trajectory from that point. He announced, of course, several days ago, and really helped our recruiting when he announced."
Underwood's announcement on Jan. 5 set off a chain reaction in Ann Arbor. Since then, five offensive linemen, running backJordan Marshall, and starting defensive backsZeke BerryandJyaire Hillhave all followed his lead and decided to stay. Michigan has also been busy in the portal, adding pieces likeOklahomarunning back Taylor Tatum, Texas wide receiver Jaime Ffrench Jr., and Utah tight end JJ Buchanan.
It finally feels like things are clicking for the Wolverines. And a lot of that credit goes to the 66-year-old head coach. Underwood was the key piece Michigan needed to lock in, and once that happened, everything else started to fall into place. Whittingham made Underwood his priority, kicking off his one-on-one player meetings in Orlando with the young quarterback.
