Once a safety at LSU, you know that ESPN analyst Ryan Clark didn’t want to see Bryce Underwood back off his commitment to the Tigers in favor of the Michigan Wolverines. But even now that Underwood has left his alma mater, Clark is singing the praises of the five-star quarterback and No. 1 player in the country.
Michigan football landing Underwood was a seismic shift — not just for the talent on the Wolverines’ roster, but also in college football. Because Underwood, as Clark sees it, is a generational talent that might just be better than all of the big quarterback names that have graces the college football stage over the course of the past decade or so.
“So what’s crazy is I came out of 7-on-7 retirement for Bryce Underwood,” Clark said. “I coached the team this summer because he was going to be the quarterback. I’ve seen Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, CJ Stroud, Bryce Young — you name it — Jayden Daniels. At his age, he’s better than every single one of them. The way he throws the football, the way he moves, the way he leads, the sort of kid he is.
“I was excited about what LSU could be in the future because of him. Partly, this is on Brian Kelly and what’s happened with LSU throughout this season. And I also think another big piece of it is, if you’re Michigan and you don’t have a quarterback, and that offense looking the way that it is, you can’t him let out of that state.”
“I’ve seen Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels…all at this age, he’s (Bryce Underwood) better than every single one of them.” –@Realrclark25 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/yVOU3MT6ju
— MGo🫘 (@MJoeBean) November 22, 2024
If Underwood is that good, he’ll earn a starting job sooner than later. Lawrence managed to start for Clemson after Kelly Bryant got the first four games of the season in. Fields started in year two after transferring from Georgia to Ohio State. Stroud started in year two. So it will be interesting to see how quickly Underwood picks up Michigan’s offense and is comfortable enough to take the helm and show what he’s got.
Underwood is fully expected to sign on Dec. 4 and he will enroll early and thus be able to participate in bowl practices, should the Wolverines become eligible.