There's a lot of consternation about Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood this offseason, yet not every national media member is wringing his hands, wondering if his potential will ever become kinetic.
On Friday morning on ESPN's 'Get Up,' college football analyst Jordan Rodgers -- himself a former NFL quarterback who played at Vanderbilt in college -- shared why he's excited about Underwood now that he's paired with head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck. After all, they managed to turn Devon Dampier into a dynamic weapon, and if the coaching staff can do that with a former three-star, then what might they be able to do with the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country?
"I mean, the ceiling is so incredibly
high just because he is so physically gifted," Rodgers said. "And when I hear Whittingham talk about Dampier at Utah, I love that because if you go back and study that tape, they ran him a lot. I mean, he had, I don't think only one game, maybe two games, where he had less than 10 rushing attempts. Bryce Underwood only had one game, yet the last game against Texas where he had more than 10.
"So using his athleticism as a weapon is going to allow him to not think so much, to play more free, to maximize his skill set. And I think in turn, he's going to be a more consistent passer as he develops in this offense. But right now, he's one of the most physically gifted, dangerous weapons, and I'm glad that Whittingham plans on using him as such."
The trouble for Underwood is the schedule. He'll be facing five schools on the schedule who were in the top 10 last year in total defense: Ohio State, Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Iowa. However, if Beck's creativity can keep those schools off balance, then the sky is the limit, should Underwood take to his newfound coaching.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers sees high ceiling for Bryce Underwood
