Recruiting Roundup: Five-star QB Bryce Underwood impressed with Michigan opening up the pass attack

As we approach Week 2 of the college football season, the Michigan Wolverines still aren’t hosting recruits at the game, as head coach Jim Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines because of the school’s self-imposed suspension.

Despite this, there’s still plenty of recruiting news to discuss this week. We’ll touch on a top-100 linebacker wanting to visit Michigan, and catch you up to speed on 2024 quarterback commit Jadyn Davis’ high school season so far. But first, we start with some really encouraging news regarding Michigan’s top target at quarterback in 2025.

Bryce Underwood impressed by Michigan’s offense

It’s no secret five-star Bryce Underwood is Michigan’s top target at the quarterback position in the 2025 class. The in-state product from Belleville has formed a tight bond with Kirk Campbell and Jim Harbaugh, among other staff members, and is giving the Wolverines a serious look in his recruitment, along with the LSU Tigers.

It’s unclear if Underwood watched Brian Kelly and LSU implode against Florida State on Sunday night, but he for sure saw J.J. McCarthy distribute the ball and be a focal point of the offense on Saturday. That seemingly piqued his interest, as he spoke more about that with On3’s Zach Libby ($).

“J.J. did a great job, honestly,” Underwood said. “I’m very proud of him. Michigan opened up the passing game more. Way more, actually. So, it was really nice to see that, for sure.”

That isn’t a super lengthy quote by any means, but it’s very telling what Underwood is wanting to see from Michigan this season. Should he choose Michigan, it would be due to a myriad of reasons — his tight relationship with Campbell, a close proximity to home, etc. — but it would also be because the Wolverines are giving him an opportunity to sling the ball around and be a major factor on the offense.

Underwood is ranked No. 1 overall in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite. He has a tentative commitment date of Jan. 6, 2024.

2025 four-star LB wants to visit soon

One of the best linebackers in the 2025 class is hoping to visit Ann Arbor, and Jesse Minter and Chris Partridge appear to be making him a priority.

Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng recently spoke to On3’s EJ Holland ($) about those coaches and how tight-knit the Wolverines are.

“They are showing love to me,” Owusu-Boateng said. “They are both great coaches. They have been talking to me and giving me advice like bringing the team together. It’s the same thing they do at Michigan. The brotherhood aspect is tight.”

The IMG Academy four-star defender is rated as the 32nd-best player in his class on the 247Sports composite, along with the fourth-best linebacker and the sixth-best recruit from the state of Florida. Michigan offered Owusu-Boateng last spring, with the Wolverines being one of his 30-plus offers, with other big-time schools like Florida, Florida State, LSU, Auburn and Ohio State being among the interested suitors.

He was also impressed with how Michigan handled Ohio State last year, and he wants to see some of that defensive talent in person.

“I definitely want to get out to Michigan for a visit,” Owusu-Boateng said. “I want to see fast linebacker play. I want to see them play violent. Just controlling the pace. I want to just see what everything is like around there.”

Hopefully Michigan can get him on a visit to campus for a game as soon as possible. If he were to commit to the Wolverines, he’d be the second linebacker to commit to from that class, along with Mantrez Walker.

An update on 2024 QB commit Jadyn Davis

Jadyn Davis is one of the most hyped-up quarterback commits Michigan has had in a while, and three games into his high school season, he’s living up to those expectations.

Over the first three games of the season for Providence Day, Davis has completed just under 75 percent of his passes for 1,013 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 499 of those yards and five of those touchdowns coming in the opening week win over Northwestern. He’s led the Panthers to a 3-0 record, with Providence Day outscoring its opponents by an impressive combined margin of 131-49.

One of those games aired on ESPNU last weekend, and Michigan fans across the country got to see how talented Davis truly is. He showcased his accuracy in that game, staying poised in the pocket and finding receivers before getting them the ball exactly where the secondary can’t get it.

The impact of Davis’ commitment has already made on the future of Michigan football cannot be understated. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on Davis’ senior season, along with the rest of the 2024 commits, who should be on the sideline in Ann Arbor later this fall.