The Michigan Wolverines are going with freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood as their starting quarterback to begin the 2025 college football season.
Typically, when a team relies on a young quarterback, there are growing pains and learning curves. But a certain former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback wants to make Bryce Underwood’s transition from high school to college happen faster than it should.
MORE: Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning Gets Strong Message From Tim Tebow
CBS Sports’ AJ McCarron stated that with the amount of money that Michigan is paying Underwood, the signal-caller has to hit the ground running to show that he’s worth what the Wolverines are paying.
“You’re getting paid, reported anywhere from $10 to $13 million,” McCarron said. “You better go out and perform. It doesn’t matter how much pressure’s on you. You’re getting paid that. I mean, it’s almost the Jamarcus Russell effect when it came to the pros, right?
“It’s why it changed the whole, ‘Hey, we’re not going to pay rookies this amount.’ You’re paying a freshman quarterback that much money. You better go out and perform. I don’t care how high the expectation is.”
In December 2024, The Athletic reported, citing two Michigan sources, that Underwood could earn over $10 million in his college career through multi-year NIL deals.
More: Florida Gators Coach Billy Napier Receives Severe Warning
The report also adds that Underwood’s expected NIL earnings come from multiple streams, with marketing and merchandise at the forefront. He teamed up with Valiant Management Group, the marketing branch of Michigan’s collective, to launch his merchandise store.
Additionally, Underwood has branded apparel through Barstool Sports. Barstool’s founder, Dave Portnoy, even publicly promised financial support to help Michigan secure a top quarterback.
Underwood will see his first major test as Michigan quarterback on September 6 when the Wolverines travel to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners. A big-time performance against an SEC opponent will be the first sign that investing that amount in Underwood was well worth it.
For more on college football, head to Newsweek Sports.
The post Michigan Wolverines QB Bryce Underwood Under Fire From Ex-Alabama Star appeared first on Newsweek.
