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Michigan’s 5-Star QB Dwarfs Teammates At First Practice After Preaching Academics Over $12 Million

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Bryce Underwood has officially enrolled at the University of Michigan and joined the Wolverines for bowl practice. The highly-coveted five-star quarterback already towers over his teammates even though he is only 17 years old.

Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan right before the Early Signing Period after being offered a record-breaking $12 million NIL deal from Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and the Champions Circle collective. However, he insists that education was more important than money.

As the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025, Underwood could’ve played college football for any program in the country. He initially chose to do so in Baton Rouge at the beginning of January. He changed his mind on Nov. 21 and signed with the Wolverines on Dec. 4.

Tom Brady helped to flip Underwood to his alma mater after he was offered a monster NIL deal to stay home and play in the Great Lake State. From the outside looking in, money was the primary driving force behind the decision to play for Michigan over LSU. That may not be the case.

Underwood spoke about his recruitment during an appearance on ‘Kickin It With Dee’ earlier this week and stressed the importance of academics. He supposedly put his studies at the forefront of his decision.

I have nothing against LSU or anything like that. Mainly, it came down to my family and the best situation for me […]

Knowing who I am as a person, education is a big thing for me. Michigan probably has one of the best educations in college period outside of Ivy League schools. That’s one of the things that stood out […]

I felt it was the right decision for me successful wise outside of football and in football.

— Bryce Underwood

Whatever the reason, Bryce Underwood ultimately chose to play for the Wolverines. He graduated high school early and joined his new teammates in Tampa for ReliaQuest Bowl practices on Friday.

To say that the 6-foot-4, 208-pound 17-year-old is an absolute unit would be an understatement.

Underwood makes Alex Orji look small, or at the very least, normal sized. Orji is listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds as a 21-year-old.

Bryce Underwood looked the part as soon as practice got underway. You wouldn’t know that he should actually be starting his last semester of high school next month.

Whether it was actually academics or an eight-figure NIL deal (or both!) that got Bryce Underwood to play for Michigan, the Wolverines have every reason to be excited. The future is bright!