The Michigan Wolverines fell to 3-2 on the season, with a 20-14 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. Although the Wolverines actually led 14-7 at halftime, Minnesota scored 10 unanswered points in the second half.  

The Gophers were helped by Underwood throwing two interceptions in the second half that set up two Minnesota scoring drives. 

Bryce Underwood NIL deal

Underwood was a longtime LSU commit before Michigan and the Wolverines came in late. Michigan's NIL collective, together with Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy were heavily involved in flipping Underwood to Michigan. He was rated as the No. 1 overall player from the class of 2025.  

According to On3Sports, Underwood's NIL valuation is $3 million for 2026. As recently as August of 2026, On3's Pete Nakos described Underwood's NIL package with Michigan as "one of the most lucrative NIL packages to date for a high school recruit."

When CBS Sports reported that Underwood had flipped from LSU to Michigan, the NIL deal he signed with the Wolverines was believed closer to $10 million. If Underwood is expected to be at Michigan for three seasons, him making $3 million would come out to closer to $10 million.

How much has Bryce Underwood made per game?

Using Underwood's $3 million figure for the 2026 season, Underwood makes $250,000 per game, with a typical 12-game schedule.

Bryce Underwood stats vs. Minnesota

Underwood finished going just 10-of-21 for 101 yards with two interceptions. He added 20 yards on the ground on 10 carries. 

Will Michigan Bench Bryce Underwood?

It is a definite possibility, considering Michigan has remaining games against the likes of Indiana, Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State. After the game, UM head coach Kyle Whittingham said some changes could be coming offensively, which might include personnel.

Kyle Whittingham says changes could be coming to Michigan's offense after scoring just 14 points in a loss to Minnesota 😳 pic.twitter.com/8nJOlab5Pa

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 3, 2026

Underwood's backup is former 4-star quarterback prospect Tommy Carr. He is the grandson of legendary former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, who coached for the Wolverines from 1995-2007. 

After Underwood's shaky performance against Western Michigan in Week 1, Whittingham was asked if he would ever consider a quarterback change: 

"He's our quarterback right now," Whittingham told reporters on Monday. It's not something that's infinite," Whittingham said. "We need to see improvement with a bunch of stuff... it's not just Bryce's job that's set in concrete. Nobody's job is."

This created an awkward moment later in the week when Underwood was asked about his coach's comment:

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2026

We'll see if there is indeed a quarterback change in Ann Arbor in the coming weeks.