Bryce Underwood, a Belleville High School senior and highly acclaimed quarterback, on Thursday flipped his signing commitment from where it had been since Jan. 6 at Louisiana State University to the University of Michigan.
He and his family visited LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 9, the beginning of a three-day trip to campus, where he was interviewed and photographed.
Underwood announced the change on social media on Nov. 21 after a trip to Ann Arbor to talk to the Wolvervines and spend the day on Nov. 20. Underwood is the nationally ranked No. 1 quarterback prospect in the class of 2025.
During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Belleville, BHS won two back-to-back state championships. During his junior year, BHS got to Ford Field for the state final game and lost. This year the team went as far as district championships.
Alumni donors from U of M have been rigorously courting Underwood and at last report had offered him $12.5 million to change his commitment.
Over the weekend, sportscasters said Underwood is bringing friends with him to Michigan.
Underwood’s Belleville teammate, Elijah Dotson, recently flipped from Pitt to Michigan. He went to visit Michigan on Nov. 20 with Undewood.
Sportscasters referred to the “life-changing” amount of money Underwood was offered which was much more than the $1.5 million annually that LSU offered.
If Underwood signs his letter of intent with Michigan on Dec. 4, as expected, he will have the opportunity to enroll early at Michigan and participate in spring practices.
The only player ahead of Underwood in some national rankings is QB Tavien St. Clair of Ohio. He has been verbally committed to Michigan’s archrival Ohio State since June of 2023.
A new “Bryce Underwood Shop” has been announced where fans will be able to preorder Underwood merchandise as soon as he signs on Dec. 4.
At age 14, after his first BHS varsity football season in 2021, he earned MaxPreps National Freshman Player of the Year, the first Michigan player to earn the honor. As a junior, he was named Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year.
According to a story in the most recent Van Buren Today magazine, Underwood was in the eighth grade in 2021 when he received his first “letter of interest” from a college program. He wasn’t even playing football when the University of Kentucky reached out to him.
At the time, Underwood was training with Donovan Dooley, founder of Quarterback University, who works extensively with the NFL, NCAA and high school quarterbacks and teams. He also was playing 7-on-7 football, an Amateur Athletic Union-style league that emphasizes the passing game.
This year’s tournament
In this year’s Michigan High School Athletic Association regional tournament, Detroit Catholic Central beat Belleville, 35-21. Then Cass Tech beat Detroit Catholic Central in the semi-finals, 17-14. The final for Division 1 MHSAA state championship will bring Cass Tech against Hudsonville at 7 p.m., Nov. 30, at Ford Field.