Sherrone Moore Explains Why Bryce Underwood Won The Starting QB Job On ‘Big Jim’s House’

Bryce Underwood came to Michigan to start, but it wasn't just going to be handed to him. He had to earn it.

But to the surprise of few in Ann Arbor, Underwood did in fact earn the starting quarterback job for the Wolverines, becoming the first true freshman for the Maize & Blue to start since Tate Forcier in 2009. He's the fourth in program history overall, joining a list that also includes Chad Henne (2004) and Rick Leach (1975).

Head coach Sherrone Moore broke down Underwood's quick rise to the Michigan starting job in his first interview of the 2025 season with Jim O'Brien during "Big Jim's House" on 94.7 WCSX. Underwood's immense talent made him the inevitable starter, as he arrives to the Wolverines as the No. 1 recruit in the nation with a rare combination of size, speed, arm talent, and mobility. But he's also still just 19 years old with plenty to learn about playing the position and leading, especially for an elite program like Michigan.

Underwood was going to get the job sooner rather than later, but Moore said the true freshman expedited his ascent to the top of the depth chart by earning trust throughout the locker room.

"We talked [at our first meeting] about trusting each other, trusting our coaching, and took it a step further, that trust means to resolve unusual situations together," Moore said. "That's what trust is, and putting yourselves in positions to be able to handle the adversity when it comes to you. And yeah, for Bryce, it's going to take trust, and he's done that through this process.

"Part of the reason why he's been named the starting quarterback here is because he's trusted our coaching, he's trusted the teaching, and he's trusted himself and his ability, and that is why he earned that position."

One could have made the case that sophomore Jadyn Davis was more ready to assume the starting role out of the gate in 2025, having spent a season with Moore and the team. Davis was ultimately named the No. 2 quarterback. Graduate transfer Mikey Keene came over from Fresno State to also compete for the job, but an undisclosed injury hampered his ability in camp.

Underwood, a native of Belleville, Mich., was expected to take over Ann Arbor as soon as he flipped his commitment from LSU to the Wolverines. But even as the anointed "hometown hero," Underwood is still a big story as the first true freshman to start at QB for the Wolverines in nearly two decades. And he did it with two T's: talent and trust.

You can hear O'Brien's interview with Moore live every Thursday at 8:05 a.m. EST on 94.7 WCSX, and every week as part of "Go Blue Detroit: The Michigan Football Podcast."