Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith is taking a look at the recruitment of five-stars in the 2025 class as they send in their letters of intent.
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Reviewing Underwood’s recruitment
We are likely going to look back at Bryce Underwood’s recruitment as a watershed moment that changed the landscape of college football recruiting. The talented five-star prospect was committed to LSU for almost a full year before deciding to flip his commitment to Michigan.
That is until Michigan reignited talks with him powered by a reported $10M+ NIL package. When the story is written about NIL becoming an enormous part of college football recruiting, Underwood’s recruitment will be cited. But there are many reasons why Michigan went all in to land the in-state prospect.
He’s physically gifted at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds with room to add muscle to his frame. Underwood is a terrific athlete which he showed off plenty during his senior season. He’s terrific in the RPO game and can run zone read plays. The Belleville star has a huge arm and can make all the throws. He’s an electric playmaker that is a big play machine.
Why Underwood is important to the class
Underwood flipping to Michigan represented so much. First, it was a huge signal that Michigan was ready to step up in a major way on the recruiting trail. Michigan was seen as a program that was very hesitant to use NIL before getting involved with the five-star. That totally went out the window once the team landed him.
It opened up the floodgates for elite prospects from around the country to give serious consideration to playing in Ann Arbor. It’s not a stretch to say that landing Underwood changed the trajectory of coach Sherrone Moore’s tenure at Michigan. There is so much excitement from Michigan fans about this signing and it’s all justified.
