Bryce Underwood gets glowing comparison to ex-Clemson football legend before Oklahoma game

Zain Bando

Bryce Underwood gets glowing comparison to ex-Clemson football legend before Oklahoma game image

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood is already making a huge impact one week into his college football career.

Following a 34-17 win against New Mexico, Underwood got a major dose of kudos entering a marquee Week 2 matchup this Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners. Just ask coach Brent Venables, as he met the media Tuesday.

"He's a little different," Venables told reporters. "It [his play] reminds me a lot of a Trevor Lawrence. Quick. Decisive. Accurate. Poised. Tough. Consistent. There's a reason he was the No. 1 player in America. And he's got a maturity and a work ethic and leadership agility to go along with that."

Underwood fared well in his first start in Ann Arbor, finishing 21-for-31 for 251 yards and a touchdown pass.

Venables wasn't the only coach to give Underwood his credit.

“He was awesome,” New Mexico coach Jason Eck said following the game.“I was impressed. I complimented him afterwards, because we cut it to seven right before the half and then we get it to third and 14 … you feel pretty good. Third and 14, he does a good job sitting in the pocket [and finding Channing Goodwin for 39 yards]."

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It's only one game, but it seems clear Underwood is the future at the position for the Wolverines. 

Even ESPN analyst Aaron Murray is all-in on Underwood.

"Just finished up Michigan offensive tape," Murray said. "Bryce Underwood is one of the most gifted freshman QBs I have ever seen,? Murray wrote.

Underwood will have more to prove come Saturday night, but his introduction to college football couldn't have gone much better.

Zain Bando

Zain Bando is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Over the years, Bando has written about various beats surrounding Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State Athletics but sticks to the Big Ten as his primary expertise. Outside of collegiate reporting, Bando covers MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated and hosts/co-hosts two podcasts as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network – Bando's Breakdowns and The MMA Outsiders, which air weekly on YouTube and are distributed on all podcast platforms Wednesday nights and Friday afternoons. Bando is a Chicago Suburban native and a member of the FWAA and USBWA, continuing to hone his professional skills as a sports journalist and media personality. Since June 2019, Bando's byline has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network (Sports News Highlights), Mike Farrell Sports, Reuters, and more. When Bando is not writing, he binges on old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes every Super Bowl, and manifests all the places he still has to travel to (even while bringing his laptop).