Bryce Underwood is entering his sophomore season with the Michigan Wolverines and his first year under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, who accepted the job this offseason.
Whittingham spent 22 years as the head coach of the Utah Utes and took over in 2004 after Urban Meyer left for Florida. The two have remained extremely close over the years.
Meyer recently received some insight from Whittingham on Underwood and shared his opinion on the sophomore quarterback.
Meyer Praises Underwood
During the latest episode of the “Triple Option” podcast with Fox Sports’ Rob Stone and former star running back Mark Ingram, Meyer revealed that he believes Underwood has an “elite” build for a quarterback.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with coach [Whittingham] about [Bryce Underwood]. I’m not gonna share some of them because that’s between two good friends who have worked together, but if God said, ‘Go make me a quarterback,’ it’s going to look a lot like Bryce Underwood as far as size and athleticism,” Meyer said. “He’s a great kid… are there some things missing? Sure. I’m going to say he’ll develop him.”
Urban Meyer thinks Bryce Underwood has an elite quarterback build@NHTSAgov @TheBluePrintUM pic.twitter.com/kdigVVC1FP
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) July 11, 2026
However, while Meyer is very supportive of Whittingham, he spent seven years as the head coach of Ohio State and beat Michigan all seven times during that period.
He remains a key part of Columbus and Buckeye football, which gives him quite the challenge on how he’ll handle rooting for the Wolverines.
Underwood Makes Bold Claim
Underwood seems ready to build off his freshman season and recently shared a strong message he thinks he’s the best player to ever come out of the state of Michigan, something that definitely garnered some mixed reviews.
“I want to prove to myself that I am what I think. I feel like I’m the best player to ever come out of Michigan, that’s for sure,” Underwood said.
“Because I worked for it. I’m working smarter than I was last year. So just blessed for the season to come up.”
Underwood completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while rushing 88 times for 392 yards and six scores.
Urban Meyer Praises Michigan QB Bryce Underwood Ahead of 2026 Season