Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham says Bryce Underwood's grasp on starting job is 'not infinite' after Week 1 misstep

Michigan pulled off a miraculous — and highly controversial — win over Western Michigan in Week 1 of the college football season thanks to a Bryce Underwood Hail Mary. With one second left, Underwood uncorked a 47-yard pass that fell into JJ Buchanan's arms, giving Michigan a 13-12 victory .

It was a triumphant moment in an otherwise rough game from Underwood, who turned the ball over twice and had just 95 passing yards before Michigan's final drive. Even the touchdown couldn't fully salvage his performance. Underwood finished the contest 12 of 22 with 170 yards and a touchdown. He threw an interception and lost a fumble during the game, allowing Western Michigan to hang around until the end.

On Monday, Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham admitted Underwood's grasp on the starting role is "not infinite" after struggling the last three times he took the field.

While that quote sounds extreme, Whittingham later appeared to back Underwood, saying everyone at Michigan needs to improve right now.

"At some point, we've got to turn a corner and we've got to see improvement, as we've got to do with a bunch of stuff. We've got to see improvement out of the coaches. It's not just on Bryce."

Saturday's game marked the third straight in which Underwood put up mediocre numbers. He closed out last season on a down note, completing just 44 percent of his passes in a 27-9 blowout loss to Ohio State and throwing three interceptions in a 41-27 loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl.

Big things were expected from Underwood when he joined Michigan in 2025. As the top-ranked player in his class, Underwood was expected to develop into a star-caliber player. While he had moments of excellence as a freshman, it was clear he still needed to grow as a player. Underwood finished his first season with 11 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games.

But Underwood received rave reviews for his performance in the offseason, with Whittingham confirming Monday that Underwood was "very sharp" during fall camp. Whittingham said the team needs to see that same level of performance in live action, and added that he hopes to see improvement from Underwood in Week 2.

After Saturday's performance, Michigan will need Underwood to put up numbers if the team hopes to defeat Oklahoma. The Sooners enter that matchup as the higher-rated squad and held UTEP to zero points in a Week 1 win.

That should present quite the challenge to Underwood, who is already facing questions about his job after a disappointing first game.