It appears the Spartans’ top rival will be rolling with a true freshman under center this season.
Reports have circulated on Sunday evening that the Michigan Wolverines have named five-star freshman Bryce Underwood as their starter for the season-opener against New Mexico this week. ESPN’s Pete Thamel, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and On3’s Pete Nakos were a few of the notable college football insiders to report the Wolverines’ announcement on Sunday night.
Underwood was a five-star prospect in this past year’s class and considered the No. 1 player in the class. From nearby Belleville, Mich., Underwood was initially committed to LSU before flipping to the Wolverines late in the recruiting cycle after a reportedly massive NIL deal was offered by Michigan. Other factors certainly could have resulted in the flip from LSU to Michigan, but it was ultimately a huge recruiting win for the Wolverines regardless of how it happened.
Underwood had longed been considered the favorite to earn the starting spot but had to officially beat out Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene during preseason fall camp. Keene has been battling an unspecified injury that held him out for spring practice, which further helped Underwood grab control of this position battle.
Michigan opens the season on Saturday night against New Mexico, and will come to Spartan Stadium on October 25. There is, of course, no guarantee that things won’t change before the Spartans and Wolverines match up in late October, but it looks like Michigan State will get their first crack at playing the highly-touted freshman quarterback this fall.
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