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Bryce Underwood’s Admirable Attitude Toward Benching Presents A Stark Contrast To Julian Lewis At Colorado

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Bryce Underwood Character Class teammate leader mentor Michigan benched Tommy Carr
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Bryce Underwood is getting paid a lot of money to serve as the backup to Tommy Carr at Michigan. However, the former five-star quarterback prospect is not only collecting a paycheck to stand on the sideline.

He continues to step up as a leader for the Wolverines even though his future with the program remains uncertainly.

In an era of college football where “me” is often greater than “we,” it is great to see Underwood care only about the success of the team. If he holds any ill will toward Carr or the coaching staff, you would never know it based on his actions.

Bryce Underwood leads by example at Michigan.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Michigan football program prior to the season. Bryce Underwood had a full season under his belt. He was expected to take the next step. The Wolverines were considered legitimate national title contenders.

All of the air was let out of the balloon in Week 1 when Michigan should’ve lost to Western Michigan at home. And then it lost to Minnesota and Iowa in back-to-back weeks.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham decided to make a change at quarterback during last weekend’s game against Penn State. Underwood began the game 5-of-11 for only 43 yards with two interceptions. Tommy Carr took over and won the game.

Although it was a tough pill to swallow for the top-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2025, he did not let his disappointment show. Underwood did not sulk. Nor did he go sit at the end of the bench.

While the internet ran wild with speculation about his future in Ann Arbor, Underwood stood right next to Carr at every opportunity and showed the utmost support for the guy who replaced him. It was great to see.

Tommy Carr’s backup is still a team captain.

Underwood was demoted to QB2 for Saturday’s game against No. 5 Indiana. He was still introduced as a team captain at the coin toss.

He also led the team huddle before kickoff.

Underwood could give the cold shoulder to Carr after his benching. That is not the case. As we saw during warmups, they are still extremely close.

Underwood even went out of his way to love on Carr before the true freshman’s first official start.

If that was not admirable enough, Underwood was the first person to greet Carr on the sideline after the new starting quarterback committed one of the worst fumbles you will ever see. The former made sure the latter kept his head held high.

Say what you will about Bryce Underwood, but that kind of behavior is exactly what you are looking for from a leader. His attitude toward the demotion presents a stark contrast to Julian Lewis at Colorado. Lewis, who refused to play after being benched, showed poor body language during a loss last weekend. Analysts say he is “completely checked out.”

That is not the case with the Wolverines. Even if he might be thinking about the transfer portal, Underwood continues to show his strong character as a leader for Michigan and as a mentor for Carr.