Trevor WoodsWed, January 14, 2026 at 12:55 AM UTC·3 min readFor better and worse, much was made of Bryce Underwood’s true freshman season. That’s what happens when you’re the No. 1 recruit in your class and starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines.
With the season now over, it’s clear that Underwood wasn’t put in the best position to succeed in 2025. Underwood didn’t have a quarterback coach who worked with him on things on a day-to-day basis, something that shocked new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“First of all, from what I understand, there was no dedicated quarterback coach working with him on a daily basis, which has to happen,” Whittingham said. “He had a young, young man, 17 years old. He didn’t turn 18 till like mid-season. And so he’s a guy that really could have been in high school last year, as far as his age.”
Beyond not having a true quarterback coach last season, Underwood didn’t have adequate competition to push him in practice. Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said Underwood asked him when he was recruited who was going to push him and make him better, yet Michigan really didn’t accomplish that last year.
Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene was injured for most of the calendar year and podcasted more than he played. East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia couldn’t even surpass Jadyn Davis on the depth chart. Garcia is out of eligibility, Keene transferred to Arizona State, Davis is in the portal, and 2024 starter Davis Warren transferred to Stanford. These departures left Michigan with redshirt freshman Chase Herbstreit and incoming freshmen Brady Smigiel and Tommy Carr as the only options behind Underwood. This wouldn’t be acceptable depth for a program like Michigan, and it wouldn’t be enough to give Underwood a run for his money in practice. The good news is, Michigan put together a solid plan and landed two portal players who make the quarterback room better.
On Sunday night, Michigan landed a commitment from Colorado State transfer quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. And on Tuesday, LSU transfer Colin Hurley committed to Michigan. Fowler-Nicolosi comes with lots of experience, while Hurley comes with youth and upside.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFowler-Nicolosi had 28 starts with Colorado State, completing 60.2 percent of his throws for 6,938 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions.
Hurley, 6-foot-1 with four years of eligibility left, was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class and was just 16 when he arrived at LSU in January of 2024. Scouting reports of Hurley indicate he’s mechanically sound for his age, possesses a strong arm, and has a quick release. Hurley’s commitment to Michigan came a day after Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt committed to LSU.
Michigan has failed in the portal in recent seasons with Jack Tuttle and Mikey Keene, but this time around could be different with Whittingham as head coach, Jason Beck as offensive coordinator, and Koy Detmer Jr. as quarterbacks coach. Bringing in Fowler-Nicolosi, who has experience, and Hurley, who is around Underwood’s age and has commendable skills, should make Underwood better in the film room and on the practice field. While Underwood is surely Michigan’s starting quarterback and biggest name, fresh faces in the QB room that are eager to be with the Wolverines seem destined to bring out healthy competition.
“You talk about a ton of upside. I mean, Bryce Underwood’s got it all,” Whittingham said. “He’s 6-foot-4 and 225-plus and has a cannon arm. And so he’s the whole package. We just got to get him refined.”
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