Five pressing Michigan football questions: Could Bryce Underwood start right away?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The past few weeks in the life of Bryce Underwood, star quarterback in the making, included meeting LeBron James, participating in a photoshoot for the cover of EA Sports College Football 26 and stopping by the “Rich Eisen Show” for an interview before his first spring practice at Michigan.

Underwood set a high bar, telling Eisen he wants his legacy at Michigan to include “a couple Heismans and at least one natty.” Before any of that can happen, the five-star quarterback and budding celebrity will be a freshman taking the field for Day 1, Practice 1 of his college career when Michigan opens spring workouts on Tuesday.

“It’s just another big step that’s about to happen,” Underwood said. “That’s going to kick off my legacy.”

Here are five questions facing the Wolverines as they open spring practice.

1. Is Underwood ready to be Michigan’s starter?

No other question comes close to this one. Michigan’s coaches got a glimpse of Underwood in bowl practices, and now the quarterback competition begins in earnest. Underwood hasn’t been shy about courting high expectations — except when it comes to the question of starting right away. When asked about that, Underwood has been careful to respect the competition. That question will have to be answered on the field as Underwood battles Mikey Keene and Jadyn Davis for the starting job.

Chip Lindsey, Michigan’s new offensive coordinator, has said the quarterbacks will start with a level playing field. Keene, a two-year starter at Fresno State, is the veteran in the group. Davis was a highly touted recruit in his own right and has a year of college football under his belt. In terms of physical tools, Underwood towers above the rest at 6 feet 4 with the arm talent to make every throw.

It would be a surprise if Michigan names a starter in the spring, but there’s still a lot that can be learned. Is this a three-man race? A two-man race? Will Underwood put on a show in Michigan’s spring game on April 19? If he does, the calls to make him the Game 1 starter will only get louder.

2. How much will the offense change under Lindsey?

A year ago, Michigan hired Wink Martindale with the goal of keeping its defensive scheme and terminology the same. The Wolverines discovered that, no matter how hard they tried to maintain continuity, a learning curve was inevitable. What kind of learning curve will Michigan have on offense with Lindsey coming in from North Carolina to fix a passing game that ranked near the bottom of the FBS in generating explosive plays?

Lindsey has an Air Raid background, but his commitment to the running game is what made him a fit for Michigan. Much of what he does should look familiar. Meshing the two playbooks — Lindsey’s and the one Sherrone Moore used as Michigan’s offensive coordinator — will take time. The changes shouldn’t be drastic, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more outside zone, more 11 personnel and more tempo from Lindsey’s offense. Assessing the transition for Michigan’s offensive linemen, tight ends and running backs will be one of the themes of spring.

3. How will Michigan replace Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant?

Players and coaches change, but Michigan’s ability to stop the run has been a constant. Over the past four seasons, only one team has rushed for more than 200 yards against Michigan’s defense: TCU in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. In the Wolverines’ biggest wins, including four in a row against Ohio State, you could point directly to the defensive line as the biggest factor.

That run of success will be challenged by the departures of Graham and Grant, two of the best defensive linemen in college football. Graham was the No. 7 pick in Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft and Grant was projected at No. 28 to the Lions. That’s a lot of talent leaving Michigan’s defensive line. Michigan signed a pair of transfers, Damon Payne from Alabama and Tre’ Williams from Clemson, who should help to fill the void. Both have been solid role players in their careers, but neither will be confused with Graham or Grant. If Michigan’s defensive line is going to play up to its recent standards, the Wolverines will need Rayshaun Benny and Enow Etta to shine.

4. Did Michigan do enough to upgrade the receiving corps?

Adding help at wide receiver was a necessity after Michigan’s wideouts combined for five touchdowns and fewer than 800 receiving yards last season. The most productive player in that group, Tyler Morris, transferred to Indiana, and Michigan lost its most reliable receiving threat in tight end Colston Loveland. That leaves a lot of unanswered questions for a group that must play better in 2025.

Into that void come Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley and UMass transfer Anthony Simpson. After productive seasons in 2023, McCulley and Simpson combined for five receptions for 37 yards last year. McCulley brings the size Michigan was missing on the outside, but he can’t solve Michigan’s receiving problems by himself. Adding only two wide receivers from the transfer portal means Michigan will have a lot riding on the development of Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore, Kendrick Bell and a cast of first- and second-year players who will be seeing their first action.

The spring portal window is another chance for Michigan to find help at wide receiver, and it would make sense to keep looking for playmakers. The results of spring will dictate whether that’s a dire need or a quasi-luxury.

5. Is this team ready for a return to the CFP?

We won’t get the answer to that one in the spring, but at least we’ll add some data points. We’ll see if the offensive line, a weak point last season, looks improved. Lindsey might drop a few clues about how he plans to use running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, and Martindale will begin the assembly process with a defense that has to replace Graham, Grant, cornerback Will Johnson, edge Josaiah Stewart, safety Makari Paige and others.

Fans will fixate on the quarterback battle, and with good reason: Improving at that position is a must if the Wolverines are going to return to Playoff contention in 2025. Last year’s spring game was an early warning that Michigan’s quarterback situation was going to be a problem. It will be a welcome sign to hear that Keene is running the offense with efficiency, Underwood is making highlight-reel plays and Davis is holding his own in the competition.

Vibes aren’t everything, but the feeling around the program should be markedly different than it was a year ago. Last spring, Michigan was reeling from Jim Harbaugh’s departure, and Moore was a first-time head coach trying to pick up the pieces. The national championship hangover was real, whether Michigan admitted it or not. This year’s team has the motivation of losing five games in 2024, coupled with the confidence that comes from beating Ohio State and Alabama to end the year. The difference in the attitude of the program should be noticeable.

(Photo of Bryce Underwood: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

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