ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In late spring and early summer, the debate surrounding Michigan football quarterback Bryce Underwood reached a fever pitch when former Utah safety and NFL All-Pro defensive back Eric Weddle made comments surrounding the sophomore, indicating things weren't going too well for him in Ann Arbor. 'Don’t be surprised if the backup (is) playing early because that Underwood kid -- I don’t think he could throw or play quarterback,' he said. It was a perfect storm for rivalry fodder and hometown consternation, and neither has particularly let up.
But one person who strongly disagrees with him is his former defensive coordinator and head coach -- Kyle Whittingham himself.
The new Wolverines coach was asked directly about Weddle's comments
on Monday, and while he didn't slap back at him hard, he essentially said he doesn't know what he's talking about.
"We see Bryce every day," Whittingham said. "We know where he's at and where we need him to get and the time and effort he's putting into everything. I'm going to say everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but we feel good about Bryce's progress right now."
So, why does Whittingham feel better about where Underwood is, especially now? His spring game performance was uninspiring, but before and after that, Whittingham had long waxed poetic about what the former five-star can do for his team.
Now that the team is in fall camp, Whittingham says Underwood has taken big strides across a number of places they wanted to see improvement.
"Better decision making, better pocket presence. His clock in head is better. He's getting the ball out quicker," Whittingham said. "I think he's also, in some personal conversations with him, he's much more confident in the O-line right now than he ever was last year. That's something that really helps his cause. He is really continuing to be coachable. Jason Beck will do a great job. Once we've had a big enough body of work and we get close to game planning to focus everything down and do what he does best and set him up for success."
Fans will get their first opportunity to see the new-look Michigan football team on September 5, when the Wolverines host Western Michigan at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham pushes back on Eric Weddle's Bryce Underwood criticism
