Things Are Changing in Sherrone Moore’s QB Room as Michigan HC Announces Threat to Bryce Underwood

That’s how almost everything went wrong for the Michigan Wolverines in 2024. They lost Jim Harbaugh to the NFL. And forget defending the Natty, they even failed to appear in the College Football Playoff. The only way Sherrone Moore could put a smile on the fans’ faces was by luring Bryce Underwood from Brian Kelly’s LSU. But again. Even Ann Arbor could not keep itself away from the quarterback dilemma. Is it good or bad for the program? Well, we’re yet to figure that out. Right now, the battle for the honor of being Michigan’s starter is being waged between Bryce Underwood, Jadyn Davis, and Mikey Keene. Even though among the trio, Underwood was believed to turn all the eyes. Courtesy? His big chase and NIL flex, someone is there to steal his goodnight sleep.  

A 2023 national championship season with quarterback J.J. McCarthy leading the way, the very next season, things went topsy-turvy for Moore’s Wolverines. They struggled mightily at the QB position in 2024. Moore and co. cycled through three different starters, bouncing from Davis Warren, to Alex Orji, to Jack Tuttle. Finally, they went with Warren. Was that a good choice? Maye. Maybe not. While he looked pretty accurate in the short to intermediate passing game, Warren struggled to connect on a number of deep balls. So, Morore knew the assignment. Moving into the 2025 season, the head coach looked confident in producing some great plays from the quarterback room. “I feel like we’re in a really good place with the quarterbacks.” Well, this assurance hints that there has been a glow-up in Moore’s QB room.

The annual Michigan football Maize vs. Blue spring game was Saturday, April 19th afternoon at the Big House. Fans and analysts alike are inquisitive about what’s cooking in the quarterback room. As Moore faced the media post the practice, a question came. “You guys only have two quarterbacks out there. Could you look to add someone this offseason?” To which the head coach replied, “Well, we’re looking at different options and what we need to do. We’ve got Chase Herbstreit coming in this summer. We’ll have Mikey, you evaluate, see where Davis is.” Turns out that Davis is ahead in the quarterback discussion this spring. Is it enough of a hint for Underwood to buckle up?

Just last year, the Wolverines shelled out $533K to lock in the blue-chip quarterback. He was supposed to be the successor to J.J. McCarthy. But with Moore’s big snag, Underwood, coming into the picture, Davis became the “other guy” to be living under the shadow of the No.1 quarterback prospect. But who cares about the buzz when Moore himself talks highly of Davis? “He got better, he progressed and did things every single day.” During the spring practice, Underwood led the Blue team, and sophomore Davis quarterbacked the Maize team. The latter completed 6 of 17 passes for 75 yards and two interceptions, the first on a telegraphed out-route, the next on an overthrown ball. He looked a little better than those numbers indicated and extended plays at times. But Moore is also proud of the strong bond that runs in the quarterback room. 

“Bryce made him better, and he made Bryce better. So that was cool to watch throughout the spring. Just the temperament that he had and the relationship, it was really cool to watch two guys compete every day. Just after every throw, they dab each other up and high-five each other, and pick each other up when one another made the mistake. Or celebrate each other’s good.” But maybe Davis is not enough. Moore needs to tap into a turbo protection mode for Underwood.

A bitter reality check and a piece of advice for Sherrone Moore 

The Wolverines must not forget what went into their Mission Underwood. Desperate for a long-term option under center, they made the quarterback an offer he could not refuse. Getting the help from billionaire Larry Ellison, they did not think twice of dishing out a $12 million offer to the No.1 quarterback prospect. Now that they have the jewel in their hood, they must oomph up their security game. Buying a fence, getting home security, and acquiring a guard dog should be among the top priorities. Things are a bit easier for Moore.

After all, he himself has been an offensive lineman and later an offensive line coach as he now prioritizes offensive line play. But here comes a reality check for the head coach. He must have ticked off all the boxes to make his quarterback feel special, like paying him a lot of money, a good offensive line. But Ann Arbor is struggling majorly in another area. Analyst Cooper Petagna pointed that out on April 11 on the 247Sports podcast. Here came the reality check. “Colston Loveland is gone, and then you think about receivers. Well, they don’t have anybody returning that have a more than 140 yards receiving last year.” No matter how hard the pill is to swallow for Sherrone Moore, the Wolverines’ wideouts had perhaps the least productive season for the position group in Ann Arbor.

Let’s just take a look at the numbers. This year the wide receivers’ room consists of Fredrick Moore, Semaj Morgan, and Peyton O’Leary. The last season saw Frederick coming with 128 yards, Morgan with 139 yards, and O’Leary with 102 yards. None of them had hit the 150 mark. So what’s the need of the hour for Sherrone Moore? “When you get a young player like Bryce Underwood, I don’t care how dynamic who he is…You need to get him some friendly pieces around so that he can just get the ball out of his hand and create some dynamic plays.” The sooner Michigan ticks off the boxes in its ‘to-do’ list, the better. 

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