Wolverine Digest

VIDEO: Michigan donor Dave Portnoy reacts to Bryce Underwood news, dunks on Ohio State colleague

The owner of Barstool Sports and prominent Michigan alum had quite the reaction to Bryce Underwood's flip to the Wolverines...

Matt Lounsberry

Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy (right), a Michigan alum and donor, reacted to Michigan football flipping 5-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU
Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy (right), a Michigan alum and donor, reacted to Michigan football flipping 5-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU / Eric Rueb / The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Roughly two weeks before Early Signing Day, Michigan football made the biggest splash of the 2025 recruiting cycle when it flipped 5-star Belleville (Mich.) quarterback Bryce Underwood from LSU on Thursday night.

The massive turn of events led to quite the uproar on social media, including a reaction from one of Michigan's most prominent alums and donors — Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy.

While Portnoy was far from the only Michigan donor involved in helping head coach Sherrone Moore and the football program present a lucrative NIL deal to Underwood to aid in the efforts of flipping the five-star signal-caller, he has been one of the more vocal throughout the season.

As Michigan's disappointing 2024 season unfolded, with the Wolverines' revolving door of three different starting quarterbacks, Portnoy pledged to donate up to $3 million to help Moore and the program land an elite quarterback. While no specifications or firm numbers have been released regarding how much of a financial investment Portnoy made in the effort to flip Underwood, it's a safe bet the Barstool Sports' owner was a contributor.

"Everyone's like, Dave, how much were you involved? Listen, there's a lot of other factors," Portnoy said in the video above. "I'm not gonna sprout from my mouth and say this, that and the other thing.

"Was I involved with a call to the family? Are they lovely people? Did we pitch a plan? Of course we did!"

Portnoy also took a shot at one of his employees and friends at Barstool, Ohio State superfan and alum 'Big Ev'.

"Did I know when fat boy from Ohio State, Big Ev, was making fun of us this morning that he'd be eating his words by dawn? Of course I did," Portnoy said. "Because, that's what we do at Michigan. QB number one. It is great to be king!"

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Matt Lounsberry
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