MSU's Bitter Rival Michigan Throwing the Bank at Top Recruit
The Michigan State Spartans have their quarterback of the foreseeable future in Aidan Chiles. The Michigan Wolverines do not.
They tried everything -- Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle, Alex Orji, considered Jadyn Davis. Nothing seems to be the answer for the spiraling Wolverines. They think they might have one in No. 1 overall prospect, Bryce Underwood.
Underwood is just about the unanimous choice for the country's best quarterback and player in the 2025 class. He plays for Belleville. A rare talent for the state of Michigan. You typically only see a prospect of his caliber in the following states:
Georgia
Florida
Texas
California
Catch a theme there? Year 'round football in the sun, baby. A Midwest state like Michigan? Forget about it. Thanks to the explosion of camps and summer leagues, the four-season states have seen a boom in talent. Hence, Underwood.
He is already committed to LSU, but Michigan is doing its best to flip him. A recent report from CBS Sports suggests that number is higher.
"Rumors swirled around campus all last weekend that the signal-caller, who lives about 30 minutes away in Belleville, would be a surprise attendee at the game (his teammate, Elijah Dotson, was on-hand)," Richard Johnson wrote. "The night before, LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was in attendance at Belleville's first round playoff win, in which Underwood threw six touchdowns in a 68-0 blowout win as the Tigers chase their third state championship with Underwood behind center. Underwood is an LSU commit for now, but many recruiting insiders view a flip to Michigan as a forgone conclusion, even if he did not make it to Ann Arbor this weekend. A significant compensation package is being prepared for him.
"The website On3 initially reported a figure for Underwood may near $5 million, but multiple conversations CBS Sports and 247Sports have had with sources across the industry paint the real number to be something closer to double that (over the course of several seasons). There should be no surprise at the high cost of doing business in the NIL era with a highly-touted prospect."
How much could it cost Michigan when it's all said and done?
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
