"Not cocky, but confident": Bryce Underwood's teammate makes eye-catching remarks about freshman star as Michigan QB battle intensifies

Bryce Underwood has been creating buzz since middle school. As a potential starting quarterback for Michigan, he is living up to the lofty expectations, becoming the first true freshman ever featured on the cover of the EA College Football video game.

Underwood is justifying all that hype and has already shown his Wolverines teammates that he can lead the program, according to Michigan left guard Giovanni El-Hadi.

"He’s very confident,” El-Hadi told The Wolverine. “He has that natural leadership. He’s loud, he calls something he’s confident in, if it’s right or wrong, and that’s all I like about him. You gotta be confident to be a quarterback. Not cocky, but confident, and I really love that about him."

Michigan struggled with consistency at quarterback last season, rotating through three different starters. Now, 17-year-old Underwood is showing signs that he could be the one to break that misfortune in the 2025 season.

“He's playing with 21, 22, maybe 25-year-olds," El-Hadi said. "God knows how old people are nowadays, but he just has that ability to lead us and the ability to talk through stuff just like all the other quarterbacks. They, have that ability to talk through things in the right way. And for him to do that at a young age is so impressive.”

On Tuesday, PFF College ranked Bryce Underwood No. 1 on its list of top freshmen to watch for the 2025 season. He was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, regardless of position.

Donaven McCulley has high praise for Bryce Underwood's poise

Before the 2022 season, Donaven McCulley made a position switch from quarterback to wide receiver while playing at Indiana. After transferring to Michigan, he continued in his wide receiver role.

With his background as a former quarterback, McCulley offered insight into what makes Bryce Underwood stand out.

"I look at his poise," McCulley told WolverinesWire on Monday. "As a young quarterback, me coming into college as a young quarterback, I didn't have the same poise that he has. It's just kind of night and day how much poise he has, and that's something that gives me confidence in him. "He'll stand in the pocket and he might be taking a hit, but he'll let it rip. So that's a lot of poise."

Underwood compiled a 50-4 record at Belleville High School (Michigan) and led the program to two state titles. If he can carry that success into his college career, the Wolverines may be poised for a return to championship contention.

Edited by Maliha