<\/p>\n
The 2026 Michigan football team looks markedly different from last year\u2019s squad. A new<\/a> leader at the helm of the ship in the form of head coach Kyle Whittingham, a duo of new<\/a> coordinators<\/a> and a multitude<\/a> of<\/a> transfers<\/a> give the Wolverines a new look entering fall competition. But at the center of it all, quarterback Bryce Underwood remains the linchpin.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Whittingham and company bring in new tools and systems to get Michigan to the standard its fans expect, Underwood\u2019s performance will be scrutinized more than ever.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see Bryce every day, we know what he knows, where he\u2019s at and where we need him to get and the time and effort he\u2019s putting into everything,\u201d Whittingham said Monday.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone\u2019s entitled to their own opinion, but we feel good about Bryce\u2019s progress right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Since switching his commitment<\/a> from LSU to the Wolverines in Nov 2024, Underwood holds a litany of expectations and opinions around him. And frankly, his 2025 performance didn\u2019t hold up to the $12 million<\/a> anticipation. By the time Underwood played the\u00a0 last snap of his freshman year in the Citrus Bowl<\/a>, he accumulated 202 completions in 335 attempts and failed to show the command that was expected of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n