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And there it is. Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the nation for the Class of 2025, a star who grew up under the nose of Jim Harbaugh’s program, and the kind of quarterback who could potentially carry any program for a couple of years, finally announced his commitment. It came after speculation that his Michigan recruiting had not gone well. He came into Saturday with a list of potential schools that included, according to 24/7 Sports, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Colorado, Florida State and Oregon, and made his choice: It’s LSU.
Brian Kelly had made a strong push for Underwood throughout the recruiting process. Underwood made several visits to Baton Rouge, and had told 24/7 Sports that, “It’s a lot of real people out there. A lot of people from Michigan. A lot of things we can relate to.”
Give Underwood credit for his flair for the dramatic. It was just after noon Eastern Time when he sent out a post on his “Bryce Underwood 16” Twitter/X account, saying, “Today …. is the day.” Within two hours, the post had nearly 300,000 views. That’s a popular young man.
Michigan Recruiting: Bryce Underwood Is 2025’s No. 1 Recruit
There’s good reason for the drama, of course. When it comes to recruiting hauls, Bryce Underwood is almost a one-man band. At 24/7, Underwood has been the No. 1 prospect in the nation for quite some time. ESPN has him No. 1 as well, and On3.com also has him atop their board. Rivals.com has Underwood ranked second in the class of 2025. He’s already drawing NFL attention.
Last season at Belleville High in Michigan, Underwood completed 66.7% of his pass attempts for 3,165 yards with 40 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He logged a quarterback rating of 146.0. He was part of Belleville’s two state championships as a freshman and sophomore and led the team to a 13-0 mark before losing in the state championship game this year.
There were many unofficial Michigan recruiting visits , but there was speculation about how serious Underwood was about Jim Harbaugh’s program because of a paucity of official visits. Underwood did not officially visit at all in December. He lives less than a half-hour from Ann Arbor.
Here’s the scouting report on Underwood from Mike Farrell Sports:
“Underwood is no doubt a top QB in his class. His true dual-threat ability makes him deadly in both aspects of the game. Standing at 6-4 205 pounds, he displays an elite build for the position. He can read a defense exceptionally well and shows off his understanding of the game on the field. Underwood displays a strong arm and can make throws to any part of the field. He throws a solid deep ball and can use touch to put his receivers in positions to make catches. He understands pocket presence and uses his legs and great speed when needed. Underwood will start in college and likely hear his name called on Thursday night in April.”
Jim Harbaugh’s Impact Uncertain
Impossible to say, of course, just what impact Jim Harbaugh’s job status at Michigan had on Underwood’s decision, if anything at all. Harbaugh, of course, appears to be headed toward departing Michigan for the NFL. But he was not Underwood’s primary recruiter, and Underwood has enough talent and juice in the area to remain a Michigan recruiting attraction no matter the head coach.
In other words, the impact Harbaugh staying or leaving would matter less to Underwood than most. He has his own local connections, after all.
As he told 24/7 Sports this week of Michigan recruiting, “It’s home, definitely. I got a lot of people that I am close with that went to Michigan. Semaj Morgan, Amir Herring, Jeremiah Beasley, Jacob Oden, a lot of those players made a lot of impact in my life in the 7-on-7 world, being on the football team together, being with these players seeing them grow and being on the biggest platform is amazing to see. A lot of history coming out of Michigan as well. (Winning the Rose Bowl) it’s historical for sure.”
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