ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the things that Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore said would be key in picking a quarterback was if they had command not just of the offense, but also the personnel — commanding the respect of the team. And even though Bryce Underwood just turned 18 years old last week, it appears he’s done that.

On Monday, Moore described why he chose Underwood as the starting signal caller, and not only does Underwood not make the same mistakes twice — rare for a true freshman at the position — but he’s earned the respect not just of the offense, but also the defense.

“One, you put him in adverse situations, and he responds,” Moore said. “Never makes the same mistake twice. Even if he makes a mistake, it doesn’t come back, and it’s the same thing. You’re like, ‘Oh, dude, we got to go through the scan. That didn’t happen.’ And when you have the other teammates around you talking about him, especially on defense, and them coming up to him and saying, ‘Hey, good job.’ But having those conversations, then you kind of know. I mean, he just talks to everybody. He assimilates with everybody: offense, defense, DBs, D-tackles, O-line, D-line. When you feel like somebody gravitates and he’s got the team, then you feel like you got your quarterback.”

It appears that the feeling on the defensive side of the ball is mutual.

According to defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, Underwood has been making inroads with that side of the ball, not staying exclusively with his room, the wideouts, or the offense in general. He’s made it a point to go and spend as much time as he can across unit lines. And that’s helped him acclimate that much more as a leader for the Wolverines.

“So the locker room kind of divided up into position groups. And he’d be back there with the D-tackles and the linebackers,” Benny said. “He’d be back there with us. We all kind of move around. That’s the best thing, in my opinion, about our team. It’s not just you talk to the people who you’re used to being around. We all mingle with each other and work our way through the locker room, just chill at different spots. And it’s cool. Somebody might be at your locker who don’t belong there. You ain’t gonna trip. It’s just like, you good, stay there. They’re probably sitting next to you. Everybody joining in on the conversation. So it’s a pretty good atmosphere. So he can just be one of the guys.”

Fans will get their chance to see Underwood as the starting quarterback for the first time on Saturday when Michigan football hosts New Mexico at The Big House at 7:36 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on NBC.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Bryce Underwood earns Michigan’s respect as 2025 starting QB