Michigan Football: Where Bryce Underwood Ranks Among Power 4 QBs Entering Week 5

Bryce Underwood might not be ranked properly.

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Things didn't start well for Bryce Underwood in the Kyle Whittingham era. Underwood struggled against Western Michigan and appeared to revert to old habits. But, since then, Underwood has made major improvements and we've seen big progression from week to week.

Last past weekend, Underwood had arguably his best performance as a Wolverine against Iowa. Despite losing the game, Underwood passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns, along with a pick, against the top-ranked defense in the nation.

However, when ESPN ranked every Power Four QB after four weeks, Underwood landed at No. 33 out of 68 quarterbacks. He is behind Purdue's Ryan Browne, Washington's Demond Williams, and Missouri's Austin Simmons.

"Underwood had his best performance of the season against Iowa last Saturday, averaging 9.1 yards per dropback against an excellent-to-date defense and moving the chains three times with his legs. Red zone failures opened the door for a late loss, but you could say the last two games have been encouraging after a terrible start under a new regime. There are plenty of good defenses left on the schedule, though," Connelly wrote.

Underwood's continues to improve and should be thought of higher

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In CBS Sports' QB Power Rankings, Underwood isn't listed. Which is pretty criminal and leads me to think that there is a lot of box score watching going on. And, to be frank, if that's the case, the last two weeks should've led to Underwood being ranked.

In Week 2, Jason Beck had Underwood take on more of a running role in the offense, which worked, and led to Michigan winning. In the second half against UTEP, Underwood was efficient and Michigan won the game going away.

We have to wonder if the Iowa game would've been different if Jason Beck hadn't taken the ball out of Underwood's hands in the fourth quarter. Michigan opted to lean on its defense to win the game, but penalties, tipped passes, and John Henry Daley suffering an injury with two seconds left, all led to Iowa scoring on a 16-yard pass to win the game.

One play has shown Underwood's progression

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When Iowa took a 14-13 lead over the Wolverines, Michigan needed to respond. And the play the Wolverines responded with showed just how much Underwood has progressed.

The pocket quickly broke down and both edge defenders were getting leverage, and last season's Underwood would've tucked the ball and ran, or thrown the ball up for grabs. Instead, Underwood move up in the pocket, allowed the play to extend using his legs, and found JJ Buchanan for a touchdown — all because he kept his head up.

Scramble drill.
Bryce does a good job keeping the play alive, then finds Buchanan breaking deep. 2 minutes after Iowa took the lead, Michigan takes it back. pic.twitter.com/oJU572Pr5L

— Due# (@JDue51) September 27, 2026

Michigan has already faced arguably the two toughest defenses on its schedule, which were Oklahoma and Iowa, and if Underwood keeps progressing the way he is in Jason Beck's system, the sky is the limit for Michigan. But Beck has to trust Underwood and allow him to go win some games.

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