By Micheal Germanese
As spring practice continues the hype surrounding Bryce Underwood continues to grow. And now with it looking like Underwood will take the QB1 spot, the top recruit from the 2025 class looks to be living up to the hype. From what coaches and players are saying, Underwood is as advertised and might be the game-changer Michigan hoped for.
Now, former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions chimed in on the new Michigan quarterback when he appeared on the Crain & Company podcast. Stalions coached Underwood at Belleville High School this past season after coming over from Detroit Mumford. They asked Stalions what it was like to coach Underwood and what makes Underwood special.
Connor Stalions explains what makes QB Bryce Underwood so special #MichiganFootball @cpstalions pic.twitter.com/IO301NcVrs
— Crain & Company (@CrainCompany) April 1, 2025
It did not take much for Stalions to answer “He definitely has the mind of a current Junior, Senior you could even argue NFL Quarterback. I think what made him so successful in his high school career throughout the whole four years was his ability to understand the opposing defense just as well as or better than the defensive coordinator understood it.” If Underwood’s ability to diagnose a defense translates to college, Underwood could very well possess the same superpower as former Michigan QB Tom Brady.
Brady after winning his last Super Bowl explained to Colin Cowherd on The Herd that his superpower was his ability to diagnose a defense. Brady told Cowherd “It was like I had the answers to the test. That’s where I was great. That’s where my magic superpower was. It wasn’t how fast I could run. It was how fast I could diagnose what they were doing.”
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My magic superpower wasn’t how fast I could run
It was how fast I could diagnose what they were doing
I could figure out what they were doing before they did it
I didn’t snap the ball unless I knew my guys… pic.twitter.com/r97zbuSb0D
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 8, 2025
Brady explained that it was the work he put in watching film to understand what the defense was going to do that fed his superpower. Underwood might process this trait as well after Stallions went on to say “he has the work ethic of an NFL player and he has the knowledge of the game of probably a two or three-year vet.” Did Brady see these two important traits in Underwood? Is that why Brady made it a point to FaceTime the young QB?
Now, regardless of what you think of Stalions for what he allegedly did, it’s hard to deny his understanding of the game of football. Still, Stalions’ comments will be seen as coming from a Michigan fan. However given what Ryan Clark had to say about the young QB Stalions can’t be far off.
Clark a former LSU safety, NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion coached Underwood in a seven-on-seven league. Clark was on ESPN’s First Take after Michigan flipped Underwood from LSU and said “What’s crazy is I came out of seven-on-seven coaching retirement for Bryce Underwood, I coached a team this summer because he was going to be the quarterback. I’ve seen Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young — you name it. Jayden Daniels. At this age, he’s better than every single one of them. The way he throws the football, the way he moves, the way he leads, the sort of kid he is.”
Underwood coming into college according to Clark, is better than two Heisman winners in Daniels (2023) and Young (2021). Along with three runners-up in Stroud (3rd 2022), Lawrence (2nd 2020) and Fields (3rd 2019) when they came in. This is a telling statement by Clark. It could also explain why Sherrone Moore went out and got Chip Lindsey as offensive coordinator to develop the young QB.
It’s unfair to compare Underwood to Brady considering Brady never came into college with the same hype and no one knew Brady would turn into the GOAT. But for Michigan it’s simple now, develop and let Underwood show that all the hype surrounding him was justified. If Stalions and Clark are right about Underwood, Michigan will have a lot to look forward to over the next three years. Lloyd Carr made a mistake by not playing Brady when he was at Michigan. Does Moore now have a chance to learn from that mistake and let Underwood do what Brady never had the chance to—lead Michigan to a national championship.
