My uncle Jim texted me yesterday. “Did you see what that kid at Michigan is making?” He sent me a screenshot from ESPN. It showed that Bryce was getting $10 million, and that’s a lot for a freshman who has yet to appear in a college game. Bryce Underwood is now the wealthiest college athlete of all time, and I’ll be honest with you, it’s completely mind-blowing.
The Kid From Down the Road
Underwood grew up twenty minutes from where I live. He went to Belleville High School, the same place my cousin went. There is nothing fancy about it. It’s just your typical Michigan town, where everyone knows each other. The kid was throwing footballs through tire swings at age 8.
In high school, he was throwing them 60 yards downfield with pinpoint accuracy. The college scouts began to appear when he was a sophomore. I watched him his senior year. Our local paper had said he was excellent, but to see it live was something else.
I mean, this kid made throws that were very difficult. Thirty-yard strikes while getting tackled. Touchdown passes with three defenders hanging on him. My high school quarterback couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Underwood was hitting dime-sized targets at forty yards.
The LSU Thing That Almost Happened
For months, everyone believed that Underwood was heading to Louisiana. He pledged to LSU in January 2024 and there were photos of him in purple and gold. Talked about playing for Coach Kelly. Done deal. LSU fans were pumped. Finally, they had a quarterback who could lead them back to championship level.
They started planning championship parades. Michigan fans? We moved on. Who can blame a kid for wanting to play somewhere warm while we’re shoveling snow six months a year? Then everything changed.
November Madness
Michigan’s season was going sideways. The passing game was amateur hour. Dead last in the country. You heard that correctly; it was worse than teams that hardly throw the ball. So Michigan did what desperate teams do. They opened the checkbook. Wide open. Underwood heard that Michigan had some serious money to throw around.
Not just more than LSU but way more. Life-changing money. A good friend of mine is employed in college sports. He gave me a call when the rumors first started flying. “Michigan’s about to offer something that’s going to blow your mind,” he said. He wasn’t kidding.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Michigan’s head coach, Sherrone Moore, dialed Underwood on a Thursday night in November. The conversation lasted two hours. No one knows what they talked about there, but Underwood reversed his pledge by Sunday. LSU to Michigan. Just like that.
LSU fans went nuts. Michigan fans couldn’t believe it. College football reporters were up until the middle of the night trying to make sense of the numbers. The boy from down the road was coming home. For more money than many people see in a lifetime.
Spring Ball Was Different
I attended Michigan’s spring practice in April, as I wanted to see what 10 million dollars looked like in person. Underwood was just a college kid. Backward baseball cap, beat-up sneakers, joking around with teammates. But once he was in the huddle, everything flipped. His passes were crisp.
Quick decisions. No hesitation. Older guys listened when he spoke. That’s rare for a freshman, money or no money. My dad came with me. He played high school ball back in the day, nothing serious.
“That kid throws differently than everyone else,” he said after watching for twenty minutes. Dad was right. Underwood’s passes looked effortless while other quarterbacks were straining to make the same throws.
The Pressure Nobody Talks About
Ten million dollars comes with expectations. Michigan fans expect championships. Big Ten titles. Playoff appearances. No pressure, right? The kid handles it better than I would. Be it press conferences, interviews, or social media, he says all the right things.
Acts like the money doesn’t matter. But come on. He’s eighteen. Every throw will get analyzed. Every mistake will get magnified. One bad game and people will question whether he’s worth the investment.
My cousin played college baseball on scholarship. Just a regular scholarship, not millions. He said the pressure was still crazy. “Everyone expects you to be perfect,” he told me. “One bad day and you’re the guy who’s wasting their money.” Now multiply that by ten million.
What This Means for College Sports
Bryce Underwood’s deal changes everything. This is not just for Michigan, but for every college program trying to compete. High school kids now know they can negotiate. Shop around. Play schools against each other.
It’s like professional sports, except these are teenagers making the decisions. Some old-timers hate it. They want college sports to stay amateur. But that ship sailed years ago when TV deals started hitting billions. If coaches can make eight million a year, why shouldn’t players get paid too?
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Saturday Can’t Come Fast Enough
Michigan opens against New Mexico this weekend. Underwood’s first college game. The whole state will be watching. Will Bryce Underwood look like a 10-million-dollar quarterback? Will the pressure get to him? Will Michigan fans recall why they were so excited about him? Nobody knows.
College football is strange that way. The best high school player in the country might struggle. This happens all the time. But there’s something about this kid that leads me to believe he’s different. You don’t make that kind of money without being something special. My money’s on Underwood proving he’s worth every penny.
Michigan has not had a quarterback this good since Tom Brady left for the N.F.L. Yeah, I said it. This kid might be that good. Saturday we’ll start finding out if I’m right or if Michigan just made the most expensive mistake in college sports history.